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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24430189">Family Business</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessm78/pseuds/jessm78'>jessm78</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Twist of Tartan: The Next Chapter [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (2005)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Angst, F/M, Friendship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 07:54:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>22,885</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24430189</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessm78/pseuds/jessm78</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After having said goodbye to Rose the Doctor wandered the universe aimlessly, hoping to regain a sense of purpose and direction. Little did he know that would come in the form of a familiar young friend whose family has been threatened by a familiar foe. Takes place after the NuWho episode The Runaway Bride. First in the Twist of Tartan: The Next Chapter series.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jamie McCrimmon/Original Female Character, Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Twist of Tartan: The Next Chapter [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1764268</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Not my characters, except for the original male and female ones. This story and the series it's part of are written for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended. When I started the Time with a Twist of Tartan series, I never envisioned I'd be doing a sequel. And yet, here I am. LOL. I know things will seem really "out there" at the end of this chapter, but they will be explained in the next one. I promise!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Just promise me one thing. Find someone.” </em><br/><em>“I don't need anyone.”</em><br/><em>“Yes, you do. Because sometimes, I think you need someone to stop you.”</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Leaning up against the console, the Doctor sat, staring at a view of wide-open space. The view had started to zoom in on a particular star, one of a dusty hue accented by bits of pink. He felt his boredom ease ever so slightly as his eyebrows inched up.</p><p>“Hm. All right,” he declared. “Virgalia Seven, Pegasus Galaxy.” He looked to the ceiling for confirmation. “Am I right?” A bit of a hopeful smile twitched at his lips.</p><p>The TARDIS lights dimmed, blinking in succession.</p><p>“Oh!!” he exclaimed in frustration. “How far off was I?”</p><p>Peering at the screen, he found the flashing words 'Messier Fifteen, Triangulum.”</p><p>“Oh, well, I wasn't <em>that</em> far off,” he grumbled. “Can't we call it even?”</p><p>The lights dimmed and blinked once again.</p><p>“No, I suppose not.” He sighed in frustration. It hadn't been long since he'd lost Rose. He tried to remind himself she wasn't actually dead. Even though she was 'officially' so in this universe, she was safe in a parallel one. Not only that, she was helping out a parallel Torchwood with her expertise on aliens. It was small comfort to know she was safe and well at least somewhere, but her absence still really <em>hurt</em>.</p><p>He'd then stumbled upon a bride by the name of Donna – or, rather, she'd stumbled upon him – and after a harrowing experience, she'd decided not to stick around. After what she'd seen he couldn't blame her, but he was still quite lonely and the adventure hadn't done anything to take his mind off the painful void Rose had left. Donna had thus made him promise her he'd find someone, perhaps fearing he'd do something unthinkable if he remained alone.</p><p>The Doctor snorted sardonically upon the surface of that memory. Where was he going to find someone? Should he just land on some random planet, hoping to meet someone with whom he could have a good rapport? The notion sounded ridiculous.</p><p>So, he ended up just traveling randomly through time and space, hoping for some sort of distraction which never came. He was now drifting aimlessly through the Time Vortex, asking the TARDIS to test his skill at identifying various planets and other celestial bodies. Without hesitation she'd done so, although at times he felt she was just humoring him.</p><p>His thoughts drifted back to Rose and the last time he'd ever seen her, even from afar. He could see the desperation and pain in her face as he tried to utter the words she wanted so badly to hear. Tears began pooling inside his eyes and he covered his face with his hands. What would she think if she saw him this way? Would she think him pathetic for not doing what she'd come to expect of him? Perhaps thinking that pining for her was fine but he was now a bit over the top?</p><p>Did it really matter? She couldn't see him anyway. It wasn't possible.</p><p>The little, overly pessimistic voice deep inside him was finally growing akin to picking a scab off a sore that was desperately trying to heal. He had to take his mind off her somehow, if just for a little while.</p><p>“All right! Let's get back at it,” he declared, swiftly standing and smacking his hand on the console, which vibrated in reaction. “Ooh, sorry,” he muttered. He sat back down, directing his attention to the screen once again. Without looking, he grabbed one of the controls and quickly pulled downward.</p><p>The TARDIS gave a slight jolt, nearly knocking him off his feet. He gazed at the screen once more, finding the scene had changed into one a bit more familiar-looking. The Doctor's brow furrowed in concentration as he squinted at it. Mere seconds later, a sense of realization quickly overtook him. He needed no help identifying the bluish oblate spheroid in the left-center, which was rapidly approaching.</p><p>“Earth,” he breathed. He gazed up at the ceiling once more as the lights brightened and began blinking. “Well, how could anyone miss that?” His mood began to sour. “By the way, no offense, Old Girl, but I think I've had enough of Earth for a while – say, eighty years.” Unbidden, his thoughts had once again returned to Rose. He sunk miserably back into the jump seat, holding his head in his hands. Damn, he was doing a piss poor job of even attempting to move on. He really needed a little push of some sort ...</p><p>He certainly got one as the TARDIS began violently jerking back and forth, the controls on the console taking on a life of their own.</p><p>“Blimey!” the Doctor cried. “What's got into you?!!” He flew around the console, grabbing at the various levers and buttons to take back control, but it was useless. His beloved ship was determined to land him somewhere, and that somewhere appeared to be Earth.</p><p>He heard the sounds of dematerialization as the TARDIS finally stilled. Gazing at the screen, he saw what appeared to be a desolate land made up of moors and glens. He frowned. “All right, so here I am, back on Earth. Any idea where or when?”</p><p>One of the screens began flashing again, this time with an answer:</p><p>Scotland, May 9, 1998.</p><p>The Time Lord's face contorted in confusion as he stared at the screen. Scotland, on this date in particular? Well, if he was after 'random', the TARDIS had certainly granted his wish. The location itself was a nice change of pace at least. Taking another look at the scanner screen, he found nothing but quiet, peaceful looking glens accentuated by clumps of Heather.</p><p>“Well. Maybe the fresh air will do me some good,” he said with a bit of a shrug. He made to open the doors and then stepped outside.</p><p>Looking around, he found the scenery just as spectacular in person, perhaps even more so. Making note of particular nearby landmarks, he couldn't shake the feeling he'd been here before. The TARDIS hadn't specified where in Scotland she had landed, but there was something very familiar about the area. Taking another look around, he shrugged and started walking. He smiled as he took a deep breath, inhaling some of that familiar, Earthy smell. This wasn't his first visit to Scotland by any means, but at the moment it seemed just a bit more magical. The soft, cool breeze, the bits of sunlight peaking out from behind the late afternoon clouds, the quiet and solitude of his surroundings …</p><p>The solitude which was abruptly pierced by loud cries of alarm. Turning sharply in their direction, he squinted as he tried to locate their source. The air was still once again, causing him to shrug.</p><p>It didn't last long and, this time, the cries were louder. All right, something was definitely going on. The Doctor hurriedly made his way in their direction. He'd run a good eighty yards until he finally spotted a small structure of some sort, perhaps an abandoned cottage. Nearing it, he peered around the corner to find a group of men involved in what appeared to be a scuffle a short distance away.</p><p>Deciding not to get involved, he shrugged and was about to walk away when a particular cry made him stop dead in his tracks …</p><p>“CRAIG AN TUIRE!!”</p><p>The Time Lord felt as if his eyes would pop out of their sockets. He knew that cry. Keeping himself hidden behind the building, he slowly peered around it and felt his jaw drop.</p><p>The men appeared to be in the middle of a battle. Moreover, their clothing and weapons were from a much more antiquated time. One he'd recognized immediately.</p><p>He now knew why he thought the place in which he landed seemed so familiar.</p><p>Because he had been here before.</p><p>“Well, Old Girl, I know you meant well but I think your circuits are a bit on the blink. Your sensors are off course by over two hundred and fifty years,” he muttered.</p><p>The Doctor slowly stepped forward, nearly mesmerized as he watched the action going on mere yards in front of him. Jacobites versus Redcoats. Interestingly, the battle wasn't nearly as bloody as he'd have expected. Yes, they were equipped with weapons such as muskets and swords, but didn't seem to be getting much use of them. Despite what the TARDIS had told him, could he have arrived sometime during the Battle of Culloden?</p><p>He watched for a few moments longer, trying to make sense of what was going on. A certain young man in the middle of the action suddenly caught his eye.</p><p>He'd know that man anywhere.</p><p>His heart wasn't listening to his head as he strode purposefully up to the men, nearly placing himself in the middle of the struggle.</p><p>“Hey! Who goes there?!” a English-accented voice demanded loudly in his ear.</p><p>The Doctor ignored him, wading through the crowd until he reached the young man. He was small in stature, but brawny and strong-featured with unruly, dark brown hair underneath the typical bonnet adorned with an eagle feather and cockade. The young man gazed up at him in equal parts shock and bewilderment.</p><p>“Jamie ...”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Staring at his friend, the Doctor found himself at a loss for words. He reached out to lay a hand on his shoulder.</p><p>The young man's eyes narrowed suspiciously and he frowned, batting the Doctor's hand away. “Back away,” he demanded. He then gestured to the men surrounding them. “We're in the middle of a battle here! Who d'ye think ye are, Sassenach?!”</p><p>The Doctor felt his hearts sink down to his feet. While it was understandable his dear friend wouldn't recognize him, his reaction stung nonetheless. His mind began to reel with theories on what was happening here. Had he landed in an altered time line, one in which a later incarnation of himself hadn't gone back to rescue Jamie? Or, worse, another time line in which he hadn't met Jamie to begin with? Perhaps he'd simply landed earlier in the young Scot's time stream, before he and Ben and Polly had encountered him the first time …</p><p>A loud whistle suddenly pierced his desperate ruminations. He turned to find all the men suddenly putting down their weapons and standing at attention.</p><p>“All right, lads, good show. Keep it up an' we'll have something truly authentic for next week,” a voice loudly boomed through a bullhorn.</p><p>The Doctor lifted an eyebrow as he gazed in the direction from which the voice came. 'Good show'? 'Truly authentic'??</p><p>Bullhorns in eighteenth century Scotland?! Okay, <em>what</em> was going on here?!</p><p>He turned back to find Jamie no longer paying attention to anything going around him, but rather transfixed on something located beyond them.</p><p>“Jamie?” the Doctor asked.</p><p>His question fell on deaf ears as the lad slowly walked past the small building behind them, his eyes narrowed as if studying something off in the distance.</p><p>The Doctor turned to see what he could make out, but there was nothing out of the ordinary.</p><p>… Except for his TARDIS.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Jamie could hear the muffled voices of his mates in the background, but all his attention was on the big, blue object off in the distance. Just minutes ago he had been taking part in a practice exercise when a mysterious stranger wearing a pinstriped suit and trainers, with messy – almost spiky – short, brown hair, had appeared out of nowhere, seeming to take great interest in him.</p><p>The sudden appearance of this strange man was unnerving enough. He and his fellow soldiers were the only ones out here on Culloden Moor for their exercise. What business would someone like him have here? And why had he acted as if he'd known Jamie? He'd certainly never seen this man before in his life. So, who was he?</p><p>The sight of that blue object in the distance suddenly made it all clear. It belonged to the Doctor.</p><p>“I don' believe it,” he muttered</p><p>“What is that thing, Jamie?”</p><p>He briefly turned to see fellow Jacobite Hamish gazing warily at the object before turning back to him, almost demanding an answer.</p><p>Jamie merely pushed him away, shaking his head as he still tried to make sense of the sight before him.</p><p>He remembered seeing that blue box once before, many many years ago. He was only about nine years old at the time. Of course, back then the Doctor had looked quite different to the way he'd appeared the very first time Jamie had seen him, about three years earlier. His father had tried to explain to him why that was so.</p><p>And now, so many years later, the Doctor was back.</p><p>He suddenly felt some long since buried memories of their last encounter resurfacing. The girl who was traveling with the Doctor – goodness, he couldn't remember her name, but she was very slender with short, dark hair – had been quite upset and had mentioned the Doctor attacking her. At the time, Jamie found it difficult to make sense of, but his father had been quite shocked. It seemed the Doctor had betrayed his trust and he'd told Jamie to stay away from him.</p><p>Jamie remembered the Doctor's reaction, appearing quite hurt as he insisted to his father he'd never do anything to hurt him. Jamie himself had been confused and thought his father's reaction a bit harsh, but he had no say in the matter. The look on the Doctor's face as Jamie's father led him away haunted him for quite a while. His father had later expressed deep regret for his rash behavior.</p><p>Back in the present, Jamie wasn't quite sure how to react once he'd confirmed the Doctor's identity. As a young laddie he'd found him fascinating and had looked up to him. It seemed the Doctor was seeking him out now; perhaps for forgiveness? Jamie didn't think there was anything to forgive, at least as far as he was concerned. More than anything he was beyond curious to find out what the Doctor was doing here.</p><p>Turning slightly, he found the other men had moved back in front of the cottage used as a temporary headquarters of sorts and were occupied in conversation. The only ones here now were he and the Doctor.</p><p>“D-Doctor?” he uttered shyly, removing the blue bonnet from his head and pushing a long strand of hair back away from his face.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The Doctor couldn't help finding himself very confused at present. The young man hadn't acknowledged him when he'd first spoken his name and had acted as if he didn't even recognize him. It nearly made the Time Lord doubt his identity. But it had to be him. He <em>knew</em> it had to be.</p><p>And now this lad was referring to the Doctor by name. He had recognized him, or at least the TARDIS. Yes, it had to be Jamie, but there were so many things “off” about this whole thing. Could this just be a majorly fouled up, hastily cobbled together, mish-mash of a time line? One where Jacobites and Redcoats were having skirmishes together?</p><p>One in which bullhorns had already been invented, no less? The answer was probably a lot simpler than he expected, but right now he had a good excuse to be confused as hell.</p><p>First things first, of course. He slowly approached the young man. “What is your name?”</p><p>The boy blinked, appearing confused. “Jamie,” he answered.</p><p>The Doctor frowned. “Your <em>full</em> name.”</p><p>“J-James Duncan McCrimmon,” the young man replied warily.</p><p>The Doctor's eyes boggled. “Wee Jamie,” he breathed.</p><p>Jamie blushed and looked away, uttering a sheepish chuckle. “No one's called me that since I was ten.”</p><p>“Oh, no, of course not,” the Doctor returned, in a jokingly dismissive way. “But I've got a good excuse. I've not seen you since you were,” he paused and bent down, indicating with his hand the boy's approximate height all those years ago, “about yea high.”</p><p>There was some leftover embarrassment in Jamie's expression, although it now seemed to have some fondness in it as he met the Doctor's gaze. Without saying a word, he approached the Doctor and threw his arms around him in a hug.</p><p>The Time Lord felt a tidal wave of emotion hitting him during the quick, unexpected hug and once he'd stepped back to look Jamie over. He looked nearly identical to the way his father looked back when he, Ben and Polly had first met him: the same clothing, the same hairstyle, the same voice and manner of speaking. Hell, he could have been a carbon copy of him if not for the small, yet distinct birthmark on the left side of his neck just above his collarbone. As his eyes settled upon it, the Doctor remembered it was one of the first things he'd noticed about the boy all those years ago.</p><p>The Doctor caught a glimpse of a watch on his wrist, wondering why he hadn't noticed it before. Obviously it would have clued him in sooner that he hadn't landed in the middle of the eighteenth century. “Tell me, what's the date?”</p><p>Jamie regarded him curiously. “May the ninth, nineteen ninety-eight.”</p><p>The Doctor nodded. “Mm. So that would make you … “ His brow furrowed in thought as he did some mental mathematics.</p><p>“Twenty- two,” Jamie finished for him, a hint of an amused smile on his face.</p><p>“Wow, twenty-two. My goodness, time flies,” the Doctor said with a mock air of embarrassment. He looked beyond Jamie to find another, slightly taller, young man jogging up to them.</p><p>“Hey, J.D., we're losin' the sun,” the newcomer announced as he slowed to a stop. “We're callin' it a day. We'll start up again next week, same time. That all right with you?”</p><p>Jamie nodded. “Aye.” A playful smirk tugged at his lips as he gave the other young man a slight shove. “An' go a wee bit easy on me next time, eh?” He gestured to the other boy's bayonet.</p><p>The young man shrugged. “Perhaps,” he quipped.</p><p>Jamie rolled his eyes, stopping only to give the other man a wave as he began walking away. He then turned to the Doctor, gesturing for him to follow him to the small cottage.</p><p>“'J.D'?” the Doctor repeated, brow furrowed.</p><p>A rueful grin played across Jamie's face. “It's what the laddies call me sometimes. To be honest I prefer 'Jamie.'”</p><p>The Doctor assumed a thoughtful expression. “Yeah, I think I prefer 'Jamie' more myself.” He met the young man's gaze with a smile.</p><p>The others had left by the time they stopped reached the front of the cottage. “Have ye got anywhere tae go, Doctor? Jamie asked him.</p><p>The Doctor shoved his hands into his pockets as he awkwardly looked at his surroundings. With a slight shrug, he shook his head. “Nope,” he said, popping the 'p.' “I've only just arrived on this little holiday of sorts.”</p><p>Jamie nodded thoughtfully. “Would ye like tae join me for a bite to eat? I've not eaten since eleven an' I'm fair famished.” His eyes lit up, an idea apparently having struck him. “There's this restaurant I know not far away. They've got some great food there.”</p><p>The Doctor pretended to be mulling it over before returning his gaze to his young friend with a smile. “Aw, why not? I'm game.”</p><p>The smile Jamie gave in return warmed his hearts. “All right!” He briefly turned and gestured to the cottage. “Can ye no' just wait for me? I'm away to change.”</p><p>The Time Lord shrugged good-naturedly and nodded. He watched Jamie head inside and then turned to view the lovely scene stretched before him in the waning, golden sunlight.</p><p>Not several minutes later, Jamie emerged, clutching a duffel bag. The Doctor arched an eyebrow as he took in the young man's appearance. He was wearing a white t-shirt under a plaid, button-down shirt, along with a pair of dark blue, boot-cut jeans. The Time Lord realized the similarities between the boy and his dad ended there. He didn't miss, though, how the shirt's mostly red plaid was remarkably close to the tartan of his father's kilt. He couldn't help wondering if that was intentional or not.</p><p>Jamie acknowledged him with a slight smile and a nod as he approached. “'kay, let's go,” he announced, gesturing to a wide path leading to a set of gates which apparently led out to the road.</p><p>The restaurant turned out to be a short walk away and was rather cozy in atmosphere.</p><p>“A lot of tourists come here as it's so close to the battlefield,” Jamie told him in between bites of food.</p><p>The Doctor nodded as savored his beef stew. He'd nearly forgotten how good food like this was. Dabbing the corner of his mouth with a napkin, he regarded Jamie with a smile. “So how's your dad? And your mum?”</p><p>“They're well,” Jamie replied once he'd swallowed another bite. “Da is still workin' at the museum, still doin' reenactments and tours, although no' as much as he used to. He's got more of a 'consultant' job now.”</p><p>The Doctor grinned. “I could just see your dad doing that, being such an authority on the subject.”</p><p>Jamie grinned back. “Aye, an' he got me into this whole reenactment business,” he added, gesturing to the bag resting near his feet.</p><p>“How'd I guess?” the Doctor quipped. After a bit of an awkward silence, his eyes widened and he sniffed. “So! Um … does it pay well?”</p><p>Jamie rolled his eyes and chuckled. “Are ye daft? Of course no'. I don' get paid at all. It's just fer fun.”</p><p>“Ah,” the Doctor returned, forcing a smile. “Well, you seem to really enjoy it. That's what matters, eh?”</p><p>Jamie nodded. “Aye, I do enjoy it. Da used tae tell me aboot what he did in the Battle an' all the stories that came wi' it. I treat it as a tribute to my heritage.”</p><p>The Doctor smiled, glad to see Jamie getting so involved in something that obviously meant a lot to him. Best of all, it didn't involve actual fighting. “So, what else do you do?”</p><p>Jamie shrugged. “I've done some odd jobs here an' there. I worked as a postman, but it was temporary tae cover a man who'd taken a leave of absence an' then went straight back into it. I'm lookin' fer work at the moment but I cannae seem tae find anything. Da is tryin' tae see if he can find somethin' for me at the museum. I'm no' picky. I'd even take a security guard job.” He stopped to wrinkle his nose. “Da seems tae think that's beneath me.”</p><p>The Doctor chuckled. “Hey, you never know.” His smile faded. “So, what do you think of Scotland? I mean, besides the obvious.”</p><p>Jamie grinned briefly before affecting a thoughtful expression. “I like it. The scenery is quite bonnie but I don' think I could live here.”</p><p>“Aw! Why not?” the Doctor inquired with a bit of mock indignation.</p><p>“I don' know. London is still my home. It's pretty much the only home I've known. Now, mind you, I'd not object to considering Scotland a second home. I like tae visit from time to time, as in when I'm doin' these reenactments.”</p><p>“What about your dad?”</p><p>“He's thought aboot resettling here from time tae time,” Jamie began with a slight shrug. “But I don' think he'd do it. It's too different now to the way he's always remembered it.”</p><p>The Doctor couldn't help but grin. “Well, of course it would be different,” he began in hushed tones as he leaned forward. “With your dad being from the eighteenth cen --” He suddenly cut himself off, wondering if his parents had ever told him the truth.</p><p>Jamie seemed to catch on and nodded. “I know. He told me.”</p><p>The Doctor's eyebrows nearly leaped off his forehead. “He did ...”</p><p>“Aye, no' long after I'd first met ye.”</p><p>The Time Lord found himself at a loss for words. “Oh,” he said quietly. “I can't imagine what you must have thought.”</p><p>“I was a wee one back then. I thought he was havin' me on, but Mum told me it was true. I found it, I don' know, pretty ace.”</p><p>“Ace?” the Doctor repeated.</p><p>“Ye know, wicked. Cool.”</p><p>The Doctor tried to keep from laughing. The sight of someone the near spitting image of his old friend from antiquity using more current slang was … well, nothing short of anachronistic. Apparently he'd failed as a tiny snicker escaped his lips. Jamie had apparently noticed and looked up from his meat pie, eyeing him curiously.</p><p>“Oh, sorry, it's, er … nothing,” the Doctor muttered, sniffing as he looked away awkwardly.</p><p>Jamie regarded him for a moment and then nodded. “So,” he continued around a mouthful of food. “What brings ye here?”</p><p>The Time Lord suddenly felt very uncomfortable. He'd been enjoying this little reunion with his dear old friend's son. It had forced him to get his mind off his very recent, fresh pain, and now it was resurfacing. Avoiding his gaze, the Doctor merely shrugged. “I've just been traveling here and there. A lot's been going on recently. I needed some time off for a distraction.” He sighed heavily.</p><p>He tentatively met the young man's gaze, groaning inwardly as he witnessed the same expression he'd come to expect from his dad over the years: the one that demonstrated he was smarter than the Doctor gave him credit for.</p><p>“Spill, Doctor. Somethin's troublin' ye, is it no'?”</p><p>Still avoiding his gaze, the Doctor smiled ruefully. “You're more like your dad than you think.” Taking a deep breath, he decided there was no point in keeping it bottled up. “I just lost someone. Someone very special to me.”</p><p>Jamie gazed at him sadly. “I'm sorry.”</p><p>“Yeah. So am I. She was one of a kind. Losing her, I almost feel as if I'd lost a part of myself.” He looked around and shrugged. “So, I just wandered aimlessly throughout time and space. Felt as if I didn't have anything left to do and that maybe it was time to just give it all up.”</p><p>That really got Jamie's attention. “'Give it all up'?”</p><p>“Yeah,” the Doctor sighed. “I don't know, maybe I'd find some planet somewhere whose people were in the middle of a dangerous war, stick my nose in where it doesn't belong, wind up in mortal danger that would just put me out of my misery. You know, that sort of thing.”</p><p>The young man stared at him, slack-jawed. “Ye mean, ye'd get intae some sort of suicide mission just tae end yer heartache??”</p><p>Deeply mired in his pain one more, the Doctor avoided his gaze and remained silent.</p><p>“I cannae believe ye're sayin' this. The Doctor my Da always told me aboot would no' give up just like that. Ye didnae give up on me an' Zoe when we were captured by those beasties!” Jamie countered excitedly.</p><p>The Doctor quickly shushed him and caught him blushing a bit, obviously not realizing how loud his voice had grown. He leaned forward and began speaking in more hushed tones. “Now listen, I know I've never lost anyone special tae me so I cannae imagine what it's like. But Da admired ye so much for yer courage, for no' givin' up on those ye cared aboot. If ye did somethin' like … what ye jus' said, ye'd be givin' up. It'd be a terrible loss for all of us, no' just everyone here but the whole universe. I mean, from what Da told me, ye visited so many different worlds an' helped so many people, or whatever ye call them.”</p><p>The Doctor looked up at this with a grateful smile, Donna's words suddenly reentering his mind. “You know, someone I met not long ago told me something interesting. She told me to find someone, because without them I might do something unthinkable.” His smile twitched a bit. “I suppose I just did find someone.” He nodded at Jamie.</p><p>Jamie's expression became a bit unreadable and the Doctor thought perhaps he'd overstepped in saying this, but the young man soon held his gaze solemnly. “You'll always have us, Doctor. Me an' my family, an' all yer other friends. Ye're not alone. Whatever ye do, don' give up. So many lives oot there depend on ye.”</p><p>The Doctor was nearly overcome with emotion and felt tears begin to prick at the corners of his eyes. Jamie was indeed more like his father than he'd ever thought and the Time Lord really needed to hear those words.</p><p>“Thank you,” he told him simply.</p><p>Jamie nodded, holding his gaze for a moment before picking up his fork and finishing the last of his food.</p><p>With a quiet sigh, the Doctor watched him briefly and then decided to change the subject. “So apart from the job hunt, how are you doing?” He grinned. “Have you got a girlfriend?”</p><p>Jamie's face fell. “No. There's this girl called Susan John who I quite like but she's no' interested in me.” His mouth flattened in a grim line. “She likes William Finch who's tall, smart an' handsome. All the things I'm not.”</p><p>The Doctor bristled on his young friend's behalf. “Oh, nonsense! Don't sell yourself short, Jamie. You're very bright, something I'd noticed back when I first met you all those years ago. You're also loyal and you've got a big heart. Any girl who's not into you in the least doesn't know what she's missing.”</p><p>Jamie looked up at him, appearing touched despite his shy smile. “'Suppose it's my turn tae say 'thank you.'”</p><p>The Doctor shrugged good-naturedly. “Eh, I'm just callin' it as I see it.” His eyes drifted down to his unfinished meal. “Hm. I'd better finish this. There's not much more unpleasant than cold beef stew.” He wrinkled his nose, causing Jamie to snort softly in amusement.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“So, quite the comic collector you were … Remember a story called 'Martha the Mechanical Housemaid' by any chance?”</p><p>“Aye!” Jamie replied almost triumphantly. “Ye wouldnae believe how long it took me tae find that one! It was the last of a series. Da found it at a rummage sale an' gave it tae me for my tenth birthday.”</p><p>The Doctor chuckled lightheartedly. Once they'd finished their meal and left, they'd begun walking back to the area of the park where the reenactment site was located. On the way back they'd talked more, Jamie telling him about what he'd been doing with his life since the last time the Doctor had seen him. The Time Lord himself had only vaguely shared some of the adventures he'd embarked on since then … especially the ones which didn't involve you-know-who.</p><p>Before long, the small cottage had come into view. Passing it, the Doctor made his way up to the TARDIS, Jamie following close behind.</p><p>“Well, here she is,” the Time Lord declared, gesturing to her as he turned back to Jamie.</p><p>He found the young man gazing at it with what almost appeared to be reverence. There was a smile on his face as he turned to meet the Doctor's gaze. “I still remember when I saw the TARDIS the first time. I mean, after ye'd rescued me an' Zoe.”</p><p>The Doctor's own smile faltered as he suddenly felt a twinge of guilt gnawing at his insides. “I'm so sorry,” he said sadly. Jamie's arched eyebrow prompted him to continue. “I'm sorry I didn't get you rescued sooner from the Talpa. I ...” He trailed off and averted his gaze. “I was dealing with some regeneration madness. And yes, I know that's a lousy excuse.”</p><p>“Eh? Why're ye apologizing for that, Doctor? It wasnae yer fault I got taken by them. I shouldnae have trusted them in the first place.” He suddenly chuckled.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Ye remind me of my mum.”</p><p>The Doctor raised an eyebrow, suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable. “I'm not really sure how to take that.”</p><p>Jamie chuckled some more, holding up a hand. “I mean, she felt terrible aboot me bein' kidnapped by them. She'd apologized over an' over, promising she'd never let me outta her sight again.” His smile faded. “It made me feel terrible, watchin' her beat herself up like that.” He held the Doctor's gaze. “An' I won't let ye do that either, Doctor. Aye, I was afraid. I was a laddie of six at the time. But Zoe was there an' taught me no' tae be afraid. Ye rescued us, an' that's all that matters.”</p><p>The Doctor smiled. “If I had a scorecard for how many times I had to thank you for being right, I'd be really, really embarrassed.”</p><p>Jamie chuckled. “Well, what else can I say? I'm jus' callin' it as I see it,” he said, grinning as he threw the Doctor's earlier statement back at him.</p><p>The Doctor chuckled along with him. “I've got to say you've grown into a fine young man, Jamie.” He sighed happily as he gazed at his young friend, realizing how good it was indeed to see him again. He decided staying a bit longer couldn't hurt. Perhaps he'd get to drop in on his parents as well, although he hoped the passage of time would have allowed Jamie Senior's feelings to change for the better.</p><p>He turned to the young man. “Say, you think your parents would mind if --”</p><p>He was suddenly interrupted by the tinny sound of a generic ring tone. He watched as Jamie shot him an apologetic look before reaching into his bag and grabbing a mobile phone.</p><p>“Hello? … Mum? Aye, I finished a while ago an' jus' had some supper.”</p><p>The Doctor turned away, trying to make it appear as if he weren't eavesdropping.</p><p>“I'll be heading for home first thing in the morning. Ye'll never believe this, but I ran intae an old friend – Wait, what? What's the matter?!” His voice grew in alarm and the Doctor turned, finding his expression filled with concern as he listened to his mother. Despite not standing all that close, the Time Lord could hear Kathryn's panicked voice over the phone.</p><p>“Mum, please, calm down. Mebbe he's run into one of his friends or some traffic … Are ye sure?”</p><p>The Doctor took a few steps closer, now starting to grow concerned himself. Jamie shut his eyes and sighed. “But Mum, I'm in Scotland now, ye know that … All right, I'll see wha' I can do … Aye, I will. Love you. Bye.”</p><p>Ending the call and replacing his phone in the bag, he met the Doctor's gaze, eyes filled with worry.</p><p>“It's Da. He's gone.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, so I guess it's now obvious that this isn't Jamie, but his son. The events referenced in this chapter (at least the ones involving him and Zoe) took place during "Reunion", the last story of the previous series, "Time With a Twist of Tartan." And yes, "Martha the Mechanical Housemaid" was a Doctor Who comic strip many years ago. Sorry, I just couldn't help putting that in. ;)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Three</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Time Lord gaped at his friend. “What?? Your dad's missing??”</p>
<p>Jamie turned to him, eyeing him seriously. “Aye. We have tae get back there.” He then turned to hurry back in the direction of the cottage when the Doctor grabbed his arm, effectively stopping him.</p>
<p>“Don't spare me the details, Jamie. What happened, then?”</p>
<p>The young man took a deep breath. “Mum was near hysterics when she phoned. She said he never returned home. I thought he might've run into traffic or had a good chin wag wi' his friends, but she didnae think so. Kept sayin' she had a bad feelin'.”</p>
<p>The Doctor met his gaze. “And what do you think?”</p>
<p>Jamie appeared hesitant for a brief moment but there was no mistaking the fear in his eyes. “I think she mebbe right. There've been several disappearances in London over the past week, people goin' out an' not comin' home. I hope tae God that Da just got waylaid an' is on his way back, but I can understand why Mum would be so upset. She was nearly crying when I talked to her.”</p>
<p>The Doctor frowned. He hoped with all his hearts that Jamie Senior hadn't been abducted either. Goodness, he'd come here to get his mind off one horrible outcome. He couldn't bear the thought of encountering another so soon.</p>
<p>“Come on. Let's go and figure out what's happened to your dad.” He turned and gestured for Jamie to follow him inside the TARDIS.</p>
<p>The young man merely stood, blinking in confusion at the ship.</p>
<p>“Well, London is at least eight hours away from here,” the Doctor said, unable to keep the hint of incredulity from his tone. “I'd say a faster mode of transportation is in order, wouldn't you?”</p>
<p>Jamie still seemed dubious. “That's all very well, Doctor, but I remember Da tellin' me it didnae always get ye to where ye wanted tae go.”</p>
<p>The Time Lord scowled, unable to keep from taking a bit of offense. “All right. First of all, she's a 'she', not an 'it.' And second of all, er ...” He looked away awkwardly, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “That was probably more my fault.” As he opened the doors he failed to look up at Jamie, merely holding out a hand and gesturing for him to step inside.</p>
<p>Jamie met his gaze once more, as if trying to decide what to do before he finally stepped inside. The Doctor followed, closing the doors behind them.</p>
<p>He watched Jamie stroll around the console room, his expression one of complete awe as he gazed at his surroundings. The Doctor smiled fondly, noting how his reaction was so much like his dad's when he first came aboard the TARDIS all those years ago. “What have I <em>come</em> upon?” he muttered quietly, doing a dead-on imitation of his father's voice and accent.</p>
<p>“Eh?”</p>
<p>The Doctor slapped on an innocent expression, shrugging before looking away and whistling to himself.</p>
<p>“I cannae believe how much she's changed,” Jamie remarked, his voice filled with leftover awe. “I still remember going inside back when I'd first met ye.” His attention drifted down to a series of buttons on the console and he gazed at them in curiosity.</p>
<p>The Doctor stood, watching him expectantly. 'Yes indeed,' he thought triumphantly as he witnessed the young man reach out to touch them, just as his father had done many a time. Without a second thought, the Time Lord slapped his hand away. He couldn't help grinning in amusement once he caught Jamie's indignant scowl.</p>
<p>What?” Jamie asked.</p>
<p>The Doctor shook his head, his grin still present. “You really are so much like your dad.” He then shifted his gaze up to the ceiling. “Isn't that right, Old Girl?”</p>
<p>The room brightened a bit and the Doctor smiled as he turned to Jamie. “Say hello to her.”</p>
<p>The boy stared at him as if he'd suddenly grown a second head. “Eh?”</p>
<p>The Doctor's eyes darted up to the ceiling once more and then back to his young friend. “Go on ... say hello.”</p>
<p>“Are ye daft? Say hello to a --” He was suddenly cut off as the Doctor stepped sharply on his foot. “Ah!!” He then gazed sheepishly up to the ceiling. “Hello!”he exclaimed with an awkward smile and wave.</p>
<p>A cool breeze ruffled their hair. “Wha' was that?” Jamie asked as he turned to the Doctor.</p>
<p>The Time Lord smiled happily. “She remembers you!”</p>
<p>“Oh, aye,” Jamie uttered feebly, returning his gaze to the ceiling.</p>
<p>The Doctor chuckled fondly before an idea suddenly hit him. “Hey, I think we've got time for a quick tour. Obviously not enough to show you her every nook and cranny, but I'd be happy to point out some of the bigger changes I'd made since you'd last been here.”</p>
<p>Jamie met his gaze and smiled. “Aye, I would like that.”</p>
<p>“Well, then let's go!” the Doctor declared, holding his hand out and gesturing for his young friend to follow him out of the console room.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>The Doctor motioned for Jamie to sit down and the young man obliged, sinking into the jump seat. Jamie watched him thoughtfully as he seemed to be studying something on the screen and then typing away on a keyboard. He thought back to the incredible things he'd just seen on the short tour the Doctor had given him. Yes, the TARDIS certainly had changed a lot since he'd last been inside, and he'd only been shown a tiny fraction of it. There were a lot more rooms for him to see and the Doctor had said somewhat jokingly he'd have to show him the rest another time. Jamie couldn't imagine what else was in store, although the Doctor had mentioned something about a garden room and a pool.</p>
<p>He turned toward the Doctor, eyeing him almost in disbelief.</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“Och, I still cannae believe I'm seein' ye again. The last time was so long ago, when you were with that girl, that .. P …” Trying hard to remember the girl's name, he felt his brow furrow.</p>
<p>“Peri,” the Doctor finished for him, a bit of a fond smile on his face. “Ah, right, that was not long after my regeneration.” His smile quickly faded and his eyes seemed to cloud over. “Peri ratted on me to your dad, and … um … got him a bit upset.” He frowned and looked away. “Ran away with you and your mum.”</p>
<p>The sudden change in the Time Lord's demeanor making Jamie uncomfortable, he shifted his gaze to his hands. “Aye, I remember that,” he said quietly. He looked back up at the Doctor sadly. “Da felt terrible aboot it for a while, ye know. He said he shouldnae have done it.”</p>
<p>The Doctor shrugged. “Well, I didn't exactly do myself any favors with my behavior. Peri had told the truth and I didn't expect your dad to take it too well. He only wanted to protect you two.” He sighed. “But I have to admit it did hurt for a while.” He met Jamie's gaze with an ironic smile. “Maybe you shouldn't be here with me.”</p>
<p>Jamie stared incredulously at him for a brief moment before his mouth tugged into a playful smirk. “Och, will ye quit the daft talk of yers? I'm twenty-two, I'm all grown now. Aye, I respect my da and would do anythin' for him, but I can still make my own decisions.”</p>
<p>The Doctor seemed to be digesting this as he slowly nodded. He then gazed pointedly at Jamie. “Do you trust me?”</p>
<p>Jamie searched his face for a moment. After his father had spent so much time with the Doctor and trusted him, not to mention how much he'd regretted his later decision not to have anything to do with the Doctor, Jamie couldn't be more sure of his answer.</p>
<p>“Aye,” he replied with a resolute nod, a smile twitching at his lips. “Da always spoke verra highly of ye, even after that day. I always hoped I'd get tae see ye again.” He gave a slight shrug. “Even if it took a while.”</p>
<p>The Doctor chuckled and then shrugged casually himself. “Well, I haven't killed or attacked anyone since then ... Anyone who didn't have it coming, anyway.”</p>
<p>Jamie snorted in amusement. The ensuing silence was suddenly pierced by a loud wheezing sound. “What's that?” he cried, gazing around the room in alarm.</p>
<p>The Doctor grinned. “That, young Jamie, means we've arrived!” Jamie followed his gaze as he pointed to a large screen. Once he recognized the area being depicted, his mouth dropped open.</p>
<p>The Time Lord had noticed, apparently. “You know this place?”</p>
<p>“Aye, I sure do. It's our back garden.”</p>
<p>The Doctor's eyebrows nearly leaped off his head. “Wow.” He gazed up at the ceiling with a broad smile and gave a thumbs up. “Well done, Old Girl!”</p>
<p>Jamie looked up at the ceiling as well with a smile and grateful nod, although deep down he still couldn't believe he was treating a space ship as if it were an intelligent being. He suddenly caught the Doctor manipulating some switch or other and within seconds, the doors opened.</p>
<p>“After you,” the Doctor told him, holding out a hand and gesturing towards the outside.</p>
<p>Jamie met his gaze with some leftover surprise before slowly exiting the ship and stepping out into his back garden. His incredulity turned into relief as he witnessed a familiar face exiting the back door.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>The Doctor had hung back near the TARDIS as he watched Jamie traverse what turned out to be the back garden of his family's house. He tensed somewhat as he found a newcomer had exited the house and had stopped short, nearly in shock of seeing them. It quickly evaporated once he recognized her as Kathryn, Jamie's mother. She appeared almost in as much shock as Jamie himself had once he'd realized where they'd landed.</p>
<p>“James Duncan!” she suddenly exclaimed, relief palpable in her voice as she rushed forward and embraced her son.</p>
<p>“I'm here, Mum,” he replied, his voice slightly muffled by the top of her head.</p>
<p>The Doctor felt his hearts overflowing with sympathy as he watched her shudder slightly in his embrace. Once they'd parted, he could see how overcome with worry she was, her mouth drawn in a deep frown and her face stained with tears. She reflexively wiped away the fresh ones with the back of her hand as she gazed at her son.</p>
<p>“I know ye weren't expectin' me to arrive home like this,” Jamie told her sheepishly as he nodded towards the TARDIS, “but it was urgent, so ...”</p>
<p>A hint of a grin broke out on Kathryn's face and she chuckled weakly. “No, it's fine.” Poor thing. She appeared quite thankful for the moment of levity. She then locked eyes with the Doctor, appearing to study his face. “Doctor.”</p>
<p>The Time Lord felt his lips lift into a little smile. “Hello, Kathryn.”</p>
<p>She returned the faint smile but it faded quickly as she seemed to be studying him further. Some unpleasant memories began to surface and he regarded her tentatively.</p>
<p>“Look, I know our last encounter wasn't as pleasant as I'd hoped,” he began, his voice thick with regret. “But the truth of the matter is that your husband and I go back a long, long way.” He briefly turned his eyes skyward in thought. “... Oh, at least five or six incarnations.” A mirthful grin flickered across his face. “I've always considered him a dear friend; more than that, family. And by extension, you and your son as well. I would do anything to protect you and keep you from harm.” He approached her closer, holding her gaze. “Do you trust me?”</p>
<p>Her expression hardened and her eyes appeared steely with resolve. “Yes,” she said after a beat. “Yes, I do.”</p>
<p>The corner of his mouth twitched into a little smile. “You've no idea how happy that makes me.”</p>
<p>Her face had soon brightened into a genuine, affectionate smile of her own. “It's so good to see you again, Doctor,” she told him before she grabbed him in a hug.</p>
<p>“Oh!” he exclaimed in surprise, not expecting the show of affection.</p>
<p>Her worried expression was back as she bit her lip. “I phoned the police again not long ago. They assured me they'd look for him, but so far, nothing. Really, anything you can do to help find my husband, I will be forever grateful to you.”</p>
<p>Feeling a bit embarrassed, the Doctor nodded, looking away as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.</p>
<p>“Would you like to stay with us? We've got a small guest room.”</p>
<p>His mouth dropped open as he returned his gaze to her but his surprise quickly evaporated. In truth he was touched she seemed to trust him so much. “Er, well, I've got the ...” He trailed off as he gestured to his ship, studying it for a moment. As he looked back at Kathryn and Jamie, he saw them nearly pleading for him to stay. Perhaps it would be a more ideal situation, allowing him to watch over them better. He suddenly recalled the disappearances here in London that Jamie had told him about. If someone (or something) hostile had abducted his father, he'd feel better staying in the house with them.</p>
<p>“All right, I accept.”</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>“Mm! I don't think I've ever had such an expertly cooked meal,” the Doctor enthused, his mouth full of roast beef.</p>
<p>He suddenly felt a nudge to his shoulder and turned to find Jamie with a faint look of disapproval. “Come on, ye're embarrassing her, Doctor,” he lightly admonished him.</p>
<p>“Oh, no, I don't mind at all, Jamie,” Kathryn joked. There was a light blush across her cheeks, but she still appeared to relish the compliment.</p>
<p>“You see?” the Time Lord said with an air of smugness as he gestured towards her. After finishing the last bit of food on his plate, he washed it down with a glass of water. He turned to find Jamie had finished his supper as well. Rising from the table, he made his way over to Kathryn, dirty plate in hand and reaching out to grab hers.</p>
<p>“I'll take care of that, really,” she told him, putting up a hand.</p>
<p>Feeling a bit awkward, the Doctor merely shrugged as he sat back down. He turned to Jamie. “So, what do you typically do after dinner? Video games? Television?”</p>
<p>Jamie appeared to think for a moment. “I've got some films and television shows on video we can watch,” he offered. He stood up, gesturing for the Doctor to follow him.</p>
<p>Obliging, the Time Lord followed him up the stairs.</p>
<p>“I'm glad ye're staying in the house with us,” Jamie told him. “This way it's easier for me tae look after ye.”</p>
<p>Grinning in amusement, the Doctor shook his head. He really was his father's son. “Actually, that's the other way round,” the Doctor said. “I feel better about being able to look after you and your mum.” His grin faded into a fond smile. “But I appreciate the thought, Jamie.”</p>
<p>Jamie nodded. “We'll look after each other, eh?”</p>
<p>The Doctor's grin was back. “Yep!”</p>
<p>He followed Jamie into a small room at the end of the short corridor. Judging from the setup, it was obviously his bedroom. The Doctor cast an appreciative gaze at his décor. On the wall he not only had a medium-sized flag of Scotland, but a McCrimmon coat of arms as well. There was a decorative sword and a knife that resembled his father's sgian dubh underneath the display. That was the extent of the Scottish regalia. The other wall decorations consisted of posters depicting various rock bands.</p>
<p>“Doctor?”</p>
<p>He was pulled from his thoughts as he heard Jamie's voice calling from across the room. Approaching, the Doctor found him in front of an opened cupboard from which he'd removed a selection of video cassettes.</p>
<p>Jamie gestured to the tapes on the floor in front of him and the Time Lord sat on his haunches, impressed as he looked them over. There was Braveheart, Highlander – not just the three films that had been released, but also some episodes of the television series – as well as some more classic films such as The Wicker Man and Local Hero.</p>
<p>Jamie gazed up at him expectantly.</p>
<p>“Hmmmmm,” the Doctor intoned, brow furrowed as he stroked his chin. “How abouuuuuut.....” He trailed off, acting as if he were having a hard time deciding before quickly pointing to the first Highlander film.</p>
<p>Jamie flashed a toothy grin at him. “Great choice, Doctor!” he enthused. “Dare I say it's my favorite of the series. It's got a great soundtrack as well.”</p>
<p>“Oh! So happy to hear I've made the wise choice, then,” the Doctor quipped.</p>
<p>He followed a happy young Scotsman out the door and down the stairs, watching in amusement as he informed his mother of their plans and inviting her to watch with them.</p>
<p>As the film progressed, the Doctor found himself looking over at Jamie every so often. He couldn't help being amused at how enthralled by it the young man seemed, despite the fact it was obvious he'd seen it countless times. Kathryn herself had seemed a bit distracted, for which the Time Lord couldn't blame her.</p>
<p>Once it had ended, he watched her ease up off the sofa, stretching. “Enjoyable, as always,” she said with an affectionate smile for her son. “If you don't mind, I'd rather like to turn in now. It's been a long day.”</p>
<p>Gazing at the clock on the wall, the Doctor realized it had grown quite late. Jamie himself hadn't budged, appearing as if he wasn't finished watching television for the night. Typical youngster, the Doctor thought cheekily.</p>
<p>He suddenly heard Kathryn clearing her throat and, lifting his gaze, found her staring expectantly at him. “The guest room is this way,” she told him, nodding towards the corridor.</p>
<p>“Oh! Yes, of course.” He turned to Jamie, giving him a playful little wave. “Well, see you tomorrow.”</p>
<p>“Eh? But it's early yet, Doctor. Do ye no' want tae watch anythin' else?”</p>
<p>“I'm sure the Doctor is exhausted from his long trip,” Kathryn said emphatically.</p>
<p>“Well, no, not really ...” He was cut off by the stern, wide-eyed glare she leveled at him. “Er, actually,” he stopped to utter an exaggerated yawn. “It is starting to catch me up a bit.” He eyed Jamie apologetically.</p>
<p>“Aye, see ye in the mornin',” Jamie said, giving him a weak wave as he remained on the sofa and grabbed the remote.</p>
<p>The Doctor followed Kathryn down the corridor to a small room near the end on the right. Sticking his head inside, he found a cozy room with soft blue walls, a light gray carpet and a small bed with white linens. He smiled upon finding a framed painting hung on the wall above the bed, depicting the landscape of western Scotland.</p>
<p>“Thank you. This is great,” he said, gesturing toward the room. “I don't actually sleep much, but at least I'll have some time to brainstorm a plan for tomorrow.”</p>
<p>Meeting Kathryn's gaze, he felt his hearts breaking. Despite her nod, there were lines of worry etched across her face, especially around her eyes. “Have you got any ideas?” she asked, a bit of hopefulness in her eyes. The Doctor hated to let her down.</p>
<p>He thought for a brief moment and returned his gaze to her. “I've got to do some detective work. Find out where Jamie was, get his routine somehow and retrace the steps he took to find out what happened. Maybe even interview people if necessary – his friends, coworkers, all that.”</p>
<p>Kathryn nodded thoughtfully. “By all means, do whatever you think is necessary. I just ask one thing of you.”</p>
<p>The Doctor regarded her expectantly.</p>
<p>“Please, bring my husband back.”</p>
<p>A smile began to twitch at his lips. “That's the plan, Kathryn. Don't you ever think otherwise.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Four</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Starting at this point in the story, I'm going to refer to Jamie as "Jamie Sr" when his scenes first begin (or during scenes where both Jamies are present), and his son as just "Jamie" or "young Jamie" to avoid confusion. I hope I'm at least somewhat successful! :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Blinking, the Doctor gazed at his surroundings as the early morning light splashed through the room's window. As he eased his head off the pillow, he uttered a yawn and stretched. He had to admit he felt quite refreshed. Although he never really slept much per se, he'd managed to drift off a bit thanks to the room's calm atmosphere. After all the emotional pain he'd suffered so recently, it was a welcome respite. He took another moment to bask in the quiet solitude …</p>
<p>… When he was nearly jolted out of bed by a loud knock on the door.</p>
<p>“Doctor!” a familiar voice shouted.</p>
<p>Before the Time Lord could react, the door quickly swung open to reveal Jamie on the other side, gazing at him earnestly.</p>
<p>“Blimey. And a 'Good Morning' to you, too,” the Doctor muttered incredulously to himself.</p>
<p>Jamie's expression quickly turned apologetic. “Sorry. Mum said ye mentioned startin' first thing in the mornin'. She's got breakfast on, so we'll have a good meal in us before we go out there to look for Da.”</p>
<p>“Well, I don't quite think I said it <em>that</em> way, but ...” he trailed off and did a double take, regarding Jamie with a furrowed brow. “Wait, what? Before 'we' go out there?”</p>
<p>“Aye,” Jamie replied with an insistent nod. “What, ye don' think I'm gonna let ye go out there <em>alone</em>, are ye?”</p>
<p>Looking away, the Doctor sighed. “No, I suppose not.”</p>
<p>“Look, I'll be all right.” Jamie's urgent expression softened. “He's my Da, Doctor. I've got tae help find him.”</p>
<p>As the Time Lord met his gaze, he found Jamie's eyes tinged with worry. Poor kid. He needed to be there. “I understand, Jamie. I wouldn't expect anything less from you.”</p>
<p>The look of pure gratitude on the young man's face warmed the Doctor's hearts and he smiled fondly. “Now, let's have some of that breakfast, eh? I'm starved!”</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Helping himself to another spoonful of porridge, Jamie offered his mother a grateful smile. She had made a hearty breakfast for him and the Doctor: eggs, toast, and bacon in addition to the hot cereal. It was the perfect way to get started on what was sure to be a long day ahead of them.</p>
<p>“Thank ye, Mum. Another great breakfast,” he told her after washing it down with some tea and patting his stomach.</p>
<p>“Mm, yes, this is fabulous,” the Doctor said between bites of toast. He smiled at Kathryn. “You didn't have to go to so much trouble.”</p>
<p>“Oh, nonsense,” she replied, waving her hand dismissively. “You're our guest. It's no trouble at all.”</p>
<p>“Well, all the same, thank you very much, Kathryn,” the Time Lord told her once he'd cleaned his plate. His smile had an impish quality to it. “Such a hearty breakfast will give me the energy I need to start the day.”</p>
<p>Jamie felt his ears perk up and he regarded the Doctor in confusion. It seemed he'd forgotten something. “Aye, it's important for us both to get a good meal in us,” he said pointedly.</p>
<p>His mother offered him a protected stare and then shook her head as if to clear it. She then turned to the Doctor. “So, what are your plans for today?”</p>
<p>“Well, I think to start I'll need some idea of your husband's daily routine. You know, his route to and from work, any stops in between or later. Once he gets off work, where does he go?”</p>
<p>“He usually meets some friends at the pub,” Jamie answered.</p>
<p>“Ah, right, as you alluded to earlier. What's it called and how far from here is it?”</p>
<p>Kathryn's brow furrowed. “Er, the 'Bun and Spoon.' It's several blocks north of here.”</p>
<p>“Several blocks,” the Doctor parroted, nodding thoughtfully before turning to Jamie. “All right. We'll start there and see what we can find.”</p>
<p>“'We'?”</p>
<p>Jamie shut his eyes and groaned inwardly. He'd expected his mother to have reservations with the idea of him joining the Doctor. Opening his eyes, he turned to find the Doctor gazing at his plate awkwardly.</p>
<p>“Er, well, yeah, um ...”</p>
<p>“I'm goin' with him,” Jamie announced.</p>
<p>Kathryn gazed at him, eyes narrowed and mouth drawn in a stern frown. “Oh, no, James Duncan. I don't want you going out there.”</p>
<p>Jamie glared at her. “Why not?”</p>
<p>“I want you to be safe. You're staying right here.”</p>
<p>Jamie uttered a sound of frustration. “Mum, I'm no' a helpless little boy anymore. I'm twenty-two!”</p>
<p>His expression softened as he locked eyes with his mother and could see the unmistakable worry playing across her face. “Look, I know ye still feel bad aboot having left me outside alone when that Talpa beastie kidnapped me. But ye shouldn't. Da told ye no' to blame yerself. I'll be with the Doctor the whole time. I trust him tae keep me safe. He got me back safe that time, eh?”</p>
<p>He watched his mother meet the Doctor's gaze for several moments. It seemed as if he were communicating something to her. Whatever it was, it seemed to have calmed her fears somewhat if her slight smile was any indication. “All right.” She gave a shrug, a sheepish smile on her face. “I can't help worrying; I'm a mother, after all. I really hope you'll keep safe. I can't bear losing him again.”</p>
<p>The Doctor's expression was a solemn one as he nodded. “I promise you, I'll keep Jamie safe. Last night you said you trust me. I wouldn't dream of doing anything to betray that trust.”</p>
<p>She seemed to think for a moment and then nodded once again. Jamie felt a wave of relief wash over him as he found his mother's expression appearing much lighter than it had mere moments earlier.</p>
<p>The Doctor smiled back before approaching Jamie, a piece of paper in his hand.</p>
<p>“Now, I've come up with a teeny tiny list of supplies we'll need ...”</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Forcing his eyes open, Jamie Sr groaned. The dark, desolate surroundings he now found himself in had barely registered in his mind when he suddenly felt the back of his head aching terribly. He must have bumped it, somehow. He tried to reach around to feel for it, but realized that was impossible: his arms had been tied behind his back.</p>
<p>It suddenly came back to him what had happened. He'd met Ben, as well as Clive and Julian, two friends from work, at the pub as he had always done after his shift had ended. After several pints, they'd parted and Jamie headed for his car, just as he'd always done.</p>
<p>This time, however, after having found no parking spaces opposite the pub, he'd had to park down the next block and cut through the alley to reach his car. He'd got about halfway through when he suddenly felt someone behind him grab his shoulders.</p>
<p>Turning around, he'd found a man in his thirties quite a bit taller than him with a very muscular build. He'd accused the Scot of taking his wife away from him or something equally ridiculous. Jamie had told him off and tried to get past him but the man had shoved him and didn't seem intent on letting up. Jamie recalled the look in his eyes as he made the wild accusations: they looked like those belonging to a man possessed.</p>
<p>Jamie fought back, shoving the man back as hard as he could before attempting to run out of the alley and towards his car. The man had once again made his intentions clear to not end the altercation. Desperate, Jamie finally grabbed the sgian dubh at his side as he glared at the stranger.</p>
<p>A distraction came in the sound of police sirens and the man had turned, taking a few steps in their direction. He seemed almost alarmed. Perfect opportunity for Jamie to gain the upper hand.</p>
<p>“Craig an Tuire!!” he shouted as he charged the man. His cry died in his throat as he felt a blow to the back of his head.</p>
<p>It all made sense now. This daft man had an accomplice who had come up behind Jamie and knocked him out. And now here he was, tied up in this darkened building. Obviously this man and whoever was helping him wanted something from him. What on Earth could it be? He'd never met the one fellow in his life. Well, he supposed he'd find out one way or another. His thoughts turned to his wife and son and he felt a wave of nausea hit him. They must have been so worried. He hoped he could get to the bottom of this and free himself sooner rather than later.</p>
<p>“Yes, we've just brought in a new subject,” he suddenly heard a familiar voice declare. It was the bloke from the alley. Although the voice was quite distant, its air of smugness was quite clear.</p>
<p>Struggling to move, Jamie re-positioned himself so he could see around the corner of what appeared to be a desk or table and into the opposite side of the large, open space.</p>
<p>He squinted to make out the occupants of the room in the dim light. The one man standing straight as a rocket was one of his assailants. Next to him was another man who was slightly shorter; most likely his accomplice. They appeared to be reporting to a third occupant, but Jamie couldn't make him out, thanks to the various equipment blocking his view. He snorted inwardly, wishing he had his hands free in order to move it and get a better look.</p>
<p>He tried to stand up, but the back of his head began to throb again and he squeezed his eyes shut, grimacing. Once it had passed some, he settled on a kneeling position and gingerly inched up towards the edge of the table. Finally able to crane his neck and see around it into the other side of the room, his eyes widened in shock and he swallowed around a lump in his throat.</p>
<p>The metal sheen glinting off the helmet was enough to identify his mystery captor.</p>
<p>“Cybermen,” Jamie whispered.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>“Just follow my lead,” the Doctor told young Jamie quietly, slipping his glasses on before pushing the door open and entering the pub. The 'Bun and Spoon' was a decent-sized establishment with a decent atmosphere and decent-looking clientele. Certainly not the type of place from which you'd expect a man to be accosted and snatched up.</p>
<p>After having a quick look around, the Doctor spotted a stout, middle-aged bartender looking rather bored as he cleaned several pint glasses. Sauntering up to the bar, he motioned for Jamie to join him and the young man followed, taking a seat next to him.</p>
<p>The bartender didn't seem to notice their arrival. The Doctor tried a more direct approach and cleared his throat.</p>
<p>Perhaps a bit too loudly.</p>
<p>He now had the attention of nearly every patron in the building. Even Jamie himself was regarding him in quiet shock – perhaps even mortification.</p>
<p>“Oh, er … Sorry. Got a bit of a nagging post-nasal drip thing,” the Time Lord with a sniff as he gestured to his throat.</p>
<p>The look on Jamie's face seemed to suggest he wanted to hide somewhere. The Doctor nudged him, reminding him what was at stake with his dad missing. He forced a genial smile as he directed his attention back to the bartender. “'Scuse me, I was wondering if you could help us.”</p>
<p>The man regarded him in confusion until his mouth curled into a bit of a smirk. “The only thing I can help you with is ta wet ya whistle,” he replied in a cockney accent, gesturing to the pint glasses with his cleaning rag.</p>
<p>“Ah, yes! Well, we certainly can't say no to that,” the Doctor said lightly before the man nodded, filling two glasses and placing them before himself and Jamie. Reaching for his glass, the Doctor took a sip and nodded his thanks. “Now, back to what I was saying about the help,” he continued. “I take it you know about the disappearances which have been occurring in this town?”</p>
<p>The bartender blinked. “'Course I know.”</p>
<p>“Well, you see, one of the men who's disappeared is one of your patrons. We're trying to find out what's happened to him.”</p>
<p>“Oh, yes? An' who might that be?”</p>
<p>“Jamie McCrimmon,” Jamie answered. “He's my Da.”</p>
<p>The bartender's brow furrowed in apparent thought for a brief moment before some recognition lit up his eyes. “Oh, him! That Scots bloke who works in the museum. All kitted up in the kilt.” He grinned in amusement. “Must get a kick out of those silly costume things.”</p>
<p>The Doctor couldn't miss the indignant expression on Jamie's face, his jaw set in a glare. He chuckled inwardly, completely expecting the boy to take offense, but in the end patted his shoulder and shook his head. If they were going to get this man to volunteer any information, they needed to avoid any confrontation whatsoever.</p>
<p>“Yes. I was told he and his friends usually congregate here in your pub for a pint or two once they get off work.”</p>
<p>“Aye, Mum told me Da had never come home last night after the pub,” Jamie added. “An' we couldn't reach him on his mobile. We suspect he was kidnapped here.”</p>
<p>The bartender frowned. “No, it can't have happened. I was here last night. Nothin' out of the ordinary happened.”</p>
<p>The Doctor sighed, noting the look of frustration on Jamie's face as he drunk his pint. “Look, it's possible he could have been kidnapped somewhere outside of the pub after he left,” he said, leaning into the young man. He turned back to the bartender. “We need to find his mates and question them.”</p>
<p>The bartender nodded. “Clive James and Julian Cunningham. They don't usually turn up here until after five. You'll be waitin' quite a bit for that. 'Course, you'll probably find them at work.”</p>
<p>The Doctor furrowed his brow as he stared at the man in confusion.</p>
<p>“At the museum?” the bartender returned dryly.</p>
<p>The Doctor's eyebrows leaped off his forehead. “Oh! Yes, of course.” He felt his cheeks flame and wanted to kick himself for overlooking such common sense. He nudged Jamie who had finished his pint and gestured for them to leave. The younger man nodded, picking himself off his bar stool.</p>
<p>“Well, thanks for your help,” the Doctor said, nodding and forcing another smile before turning on his heel and heading for the door.</p>
<p>“What do we do now?” Jamie asked him quietly.</p>
<p>“We'll head on over to the museum,” the Time Lord replied once they'd exited, feeling a bit of relief as a refreshing, cool Spring morning breeze hit him. “How far is it from here?”</p>
<p>Jamie pointed due east. “Aboot quarter of a mile this way.”</p>
<p>“Ah. Quarter of a mile.” The Doctor shrugged. “A nice, brisk walk should get us there in no time. It'll be good exercise.”</p>
<p>“Anythin' we can do tae find oot what happened to Da,” Jamie said, his tone a bit weary. He then met the Doctor's gaze, his eyes questioning. “What if nothin' turns up?”</p>
<p>For a moment the Doctor was at a loss for words. “Well, then we'll just come back here. Search the area a bit more.” He hoped with all his hearts they would get closer to finding out what happened to Jamie Sr; not just for his family's peace of mind, but for his own.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>The time it took to reach the museum was not as long as Jamie had expected. Thank goodness; the sooner they got a lead on where his father could be, the better.</p>
<p>He followed the Doctor to the reception desk under which an 'Information' sign hung. A young, slim woman dressed in green with shoulder length blonde hair and wire-framed eyeglasses sat, thumbing through a magazine.</p>
<p>“Excuse me,” the Doctor piped up, getting the woman's attention.</p>
<p>“May I help you?” she asked with a wan smile.</p>
<p>“Yes, you see, we're looking for two chaps: Clive James and Julian Cunningham. We've good reason to suspect they've got some information on a friend who's disappeared quite suddenly; information which could really help us locate him.” The woman looked hopelessly confused, but he soldiered on. “Might you happen to know where we could find them?”</p>
<p>She affected a thoughtful expression. “Yes, Clive works as head curator in the Eighteenth Century wing. Julian is chief history selector for the Jacobean Uprising exhibits.” Her eyes narrowed in apparent suspicion. “I'll get them but who shall I say is looking for them?”</p>
<p>The Doctor appeared momentarily thrown by the question. “Oh! Er, well, I'm Doc--”</p>
<p>“Jus' tell them Jamie McCrimmon's son needs tae see them,” Jamie interrupted urgently, batting the Doctor's hand away as he'd produced some small piece of paper from his jacket. “It's verra important.”</p>
<p>Finally seeming to understand, the woman nodded. “All right. I'll see what I can do.” She turned and walked to the other side of the desk, picking up a telephone receiver.</p>
<p>“Why did ya do that? I was going to show her this,” the Doctor whispered, holding up the card he'd earlier reached for. “Make it look all official-like.”</p>
<p>“Does it really matter?” Jamie hissed back. He pointed to the card. “An' besides, how is that gonna make any difference? It just says ye're the Doctor. Aye?”</p>
<p>The Doctor scowled at him. “For your information, this is a psychic paper. It can say whatever I'd like it to say. I could be a bleedin' police constable if I wished.”</p>
<p>The notion caused a chuckle to bubble up from Jamie's throat. “A police constable? Dressed like that?!”</p>
<p>“Ever heard of a plain clothes policeman?” the Doctor said pointedly. He suddenly turned in the direction of the desk and Jamie realized the woman had returned. “Shh! Let's see what she's got to tell us.”</p>
<p>“I was able to find Clive. He's on his way and should be here shortly,” she told them with a polite smile. Several minutes later, a middle-aged man of medium height with dark hair approached. The badge with 'Clive' on it confirmed his identity.</p>
<p>“Clive James, I take it?” the Doctor asked, extending his hand.</p>
<p>“Yes,” the man began, his eyes narrowed as he studied them. They suddenly widened a bit as he met Jamie's gaze. “You're Jamie's son, aren't you?”</p>
<p>“Aye,” Jamie replied with a nod, surprised as he'd never met this man before.</p>
<p>“You look so much like him,” Clive continued with an amused smile, which faded as Jamie failed to answer and instead eyed him earnestly. “What brings you here? Is Jamie in some kind of trouble?”</p>
<p>“Aye, he never came home last night an' he wasnae answerin' his phone. We were at the 'Bun an' Spoon' earlier. The bartender said nothin' bad happened an' reckoned ye might know where Da went after leaving the pub.”</p>
<p>The man's eyes narrowed thoughtfully and he shook his head. “I don't know. We had a few pints after our shifts ended as usual. Had to be around six by the time we left. I said goodbye to Jamie and Julian, and that was about it.”</p>
<p>“There's nothing else you can tell us about what happened once you all parted ways?” the Doctor inquired.</p>
<p>Gazing at them apologetically, Clive shock his head. “No. I'm sorry."</p>
<p>Jamie felt his heart sink down to his feet. They had absolutely no leads to go on. The only other option they had was to return to the pub and search the surrounding area. He doubted they'd find anything, though.</p>
<p>“Wait,” the man suddenly blurted, his eyes widened in realization. “There is one thing. Jamie usually parked his car in front of the pub. He couldn't find a space yesterday evening, so he'd parked round the corner and had to cut through the alley to get there. I did see him heading back that way once we'd left and exchanged goodbyes.”</p>
<p>Jamie's mouth dropped open and he turned to the Doctor, whose interest looked quite piqued.</p>
<p>“At least we've got someplace to start,” he told the young man. He then turned back to Clive and reached out to shake his hand. “Thank you very much, Clive. We were nearly going mad wondering where to even begin our search for Jamie. We'll be off now. Cheerio!”</p>
<p>Jamie managed an awkward smile as he waved to the older man and then followed the Doctor out of the museum.</p>
<p>About ten minutes later, they were back in front of the pub. Jamie had joined the Time Lord in surveying the area and hadn't spotted anything unusual until the alleyway two doors down caught their eye.</p>
<p>“I think we've found our alley,” the Doctor said, eyes widened almost in mock suspense.</p>
<p>Jamie felt an amused smirk twitching at his lips but he still felt quite cynical. The Doctor had gingerly walked a few paces ahead and the lad almost reluctantly began to follow. It looked like just a boring old alley. “What could we possibly find here, Doctor?”</p>
<p>His answer came as the Time Lord suddenly grabbed his arm, dragging him into the alcove of a side door.</p>
<p>“Stay back!” the Doctor hissed. “Don't move.”</p>
<p>“Eh?? Why? What's the matter?” Jamie whispered back, his face contorted in confusion.</p>
<p>His friend pointed in the direction of a large skip situated about twenty feet away on the opposite side of the alley. Not finding anything out of the ordinary, Jamie shook his head but when he turned back to the Doctor, he found his mouth gaping open and a look of shock on his face.</p>
<p>Returning his gaze to the object, he realized why. A strange, silver colored creature resembling a robot with some odd headgear was crouched next to it, staring straight out into the street and acting almost as if it were waiting for someone.</p>
<p>“Cybermen,” the Doctor breathed.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Five</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jamie regarded the Doctor in complete shock. “Cybermen???”</p>
<p>The Time Lord nodded. "Yes. Your dad and I have had run-ins with them before. Too many times for my liking.”</p>
<p>Jamie felt a shudder go up his spine. “An' ye think that's what kidnapped him?”</p>
<p>“I wouldn't be surprised at all,” the Doctor said darkly. He pointed again to the creature crouching next to the skip. “Have a good look at it. It looks as if it's hunting something.”</p>
<p>Narrowing his eyes, Jamie studied the robot-like thing for a good long moment. The Doctor was right; it was acting all sneaky and its gaze seemed to be focused on something like a laser beam. Jamie turned to look down the opposite end of the alley where he could see random people walking by.</p>
<p>“It's studyin' them?!” Jamie whispered. “What for?”</p>
<p>“To see whether they're worthy of becoming new recruits,” the Doctor replied.</p>
<p>“Recruits?”</p>
<p>“Yep. To grow their army. An army of Cybermen to take over humans.”</p>
<p>Jamie's eyes widened in fear as a dreadful thought hit him. “Da! Doctor, we've got tae find him before --”</p>
<p>He edged up slightly, only to have the Doctor grab his arm and yank him backwards.</p>
<p>“Get back!” he hissed. “If it sees you, we've got bigger problems. We'll follow it.”</p>
<p>“But, Doctor ...”</p>
<p>“Look, we're not even sure they've got him. Maybe he escaped and is hiding much like we are. You know your dad ...” He uttered a sheepish chuckle. Jamie gazed at him in confusion. Just moments ago he seemed convinced that these robot things had captured his father. Had he suddenly had a change of heart? Or was he just saying this for Jamie's benefit?</p>
<p>“I'd give anything for it to be as simple as all that,” Jamie told him. Feeling overwhelmed, he released an explosive breath. “But I … I dinnae know... I've got this feelin'.” He cringed inwardly, realizing how much he sounded like his mother in this instant.</p>
<p>Luckily the Doctor seemed to understand, if the smile on his face was anything to go by. “We'll find your dad, Jamie. You hear me? I won't rest until he's back and safe with us.”</p>
<p>Searching his face, Jamie found his eyes focused like a laser of determination. He knew then and there he could trust the Doctor to bring his father back.</p>
<p>Feeling his mouth twitch into a grateful smile, he nodded. “Thank you, Doctor.”</p>
<p>“No need to thank me, young Jamie,” the Time Lord returned, his smile widening as he clapped him on the shoulder.</p>
<p>Jamie felt his smile widen as well until something lying on the ground just off in his peripheral vision caught his eye. His gaze darted between it and the robotic creature and, once he was sure it couldn't see him, he gingerly crept forward, bent down and quickly snatched it up.</p>
<p>Getting a good look at it, he felt his heart do a somersault once the dried blood stains caught his eye. It was quite obvious to whom that red and green handkerchief belonged.</p>
<p>Back in their hiding place, he noticed the Doctor regarding him in confusion. “Your dad's?” he asked.</p>
<p>“Aye,” Jamie replied miserably with a nod. His foot then brushed against something hard. Bending to study it, he found a familiar-looking mobile phone. Jamie picked it up and frowned as the sick feeling in his stomach intensified. “An' now I understand why he never answered the whole time we tried tae phone him. It makes me ill tae think what these beasties could've done tae him ...” He trailed off as he found the Doctor's attention back on the skip and the Cyberman hiding next to it. It was looking left and right before creeping up and making its way down the rest of the alley.</p>
<p>“There it goes!” the Doctor whispered to him. “Come on. I've a feeling he'll lead us right to your dad.”</p>
<p>Swallowing around a lump in his throat, Jamie briefly nodded before pocketing his father's phone and joining the Doctor. As he did so, he hoped with all his heart that his friend was right.</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Struggling to undo his bound wrists to no avail, Jamie Sr paused as he watched two more Cybermen emerge from a far corridor, dragging something between them. They approached the other group and were speaking with them, but were too far away for Jamie hear what they were saying. Giving up and clenching his teeth in frustration, he turned around and tried once again to free himself. If only he could reach his sgian dubh ...</p>
<p>He felt a seed of dread growing inside him as he heard the distinct heavy footsteps approaching. He stopped struggling and lifted his gaze to find the two Cybermen had stopped just ten feet before him. The bundle they were dragging was revealed to be another man and they heavily dropped him on the ground.</p>
<p>Jamie gaped at the man, who seemed about his age and appeared none the worse for wear with a collection of cuts and bruises on his face. Like Jamie, he had his hands tied behind his back. He also appeared exhausted despite the look of desperation on his face.</p>
<p>“Torture me all you like but I won't be your guinea pig!” the man cried in between heavy breaths.</p>
<p>The Cybermen stared at him in their usual impassive manner. “When we return you will have reconsidered. Of this we are certain,” one of them stated before they turned and marched to the other side of the room.</p>
<p>“Oh, you're certain?! I'll never change my mind! I....” The man had apparently realized the futility of his protests and trailed off, lowering his head.</p>
<p>Jamie scooted over to him and nudged him with his leg.“Hey, what's goin' on?” he asked the man. “How did ye get here?”</p>
<p>The man looked up and Jamie could see tear stains on his face. “My son's birthday is this weekend,” he began, his voice faltering. “He's going to be eight. I'd gone to buy a model aeroplane for him; he'd been asking for one for months.” A wistful smile briefly flitted across his face. “I'd gone to the toy shop on my lunch hour. I only work several blocks away and was short on time, so I cut through the alley.”</p>
<p>Jamie's eyes widened in realization but he nodded, prompting the man to continue.</p>
<p>“This, this bloke just stepped out of nowhere and picked a fight with me. Next thing I knew I'd ended up … here.”</p>
<p>Jamie nodded again, his mouth flattening into a grim line. “Aye, same thing happened tae me. Fella jus' stepped out of the shadows an' started swingin' at me. Have ye any idea what they're gonna do to us?”</p>
<p>The man regarded him eagerly but then stopped and gazed around the room, as if he were afraid someone would overhear. He nodded, gesturing for Jamie to come a bit closer. The Scot obliged, edging up off the floor a bit as he approached the man.</p>
<p>“I was able to hear bits of what they were saying,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Turns out the man who accosted me and this other bloke are working for these mad metal things'; these 'Cybermen' they're called. They brought me to this place. It's a decommissioned power station, you see. Not long after they brought me here, they started questioning me about my personality, of all things. Asking me about how I treat my family and those who I consider friends. A bit of an odd request, if you ask me, so naturally I was suspicious and wouldn't answer. They found different ways to torture me, but I wouldn't give them what they wanted.”</p>
<p>Jamie felt his brow furrow as he listened to the man. He'd tangled with Cybermen before, but none that had behaved like this. “Why would they ask ye such things?” Inwardly, he felt like kicking himself; obviously the man wouldn't have any idea.</p>
<p>Or maybe he had. “At one point whilst they tortured me, I faked being unconscious but was able to overhear some of their conversation.” He stopped to utter a quiet, incredulous chuckle. “They aim to take over the world.”</p>
<p>“Aye, sounds like them,” Jamie uttered bleakly. He caught the other man eyeing him in confusion and shook his head. “I-I mean, sounds like somethin' beasties like that would say.”</p>
<p>The man gazed at him a moment longer and then nodded. “From what I gathered, they are trying to study human behavior. They wish to mimic our compassion and other human traits which will make it easier for us to blindly trust them and give them control.”</p>
<p>Jamie regarded him seriously and as he considered this, felt a vague sense of deja vu. He remembered well the Daleks trying to equip themselves with 'the human factor.' How could he not? They tried to use him in their experiments and the Doctor had gone along with it, or at least appeared to have done so.</p>
<p>Bringing himself back into the present, he held the other man's gaze seriously. “We've got tae stop them somehow.”</p>
<p>The man regarded him as if he had five heads. “How are we going to do that? They outnumber us and they've got two blokes working with them! And have you seen them? They're ...”</p>
<p>His voice faded as the sound of heavy footsteps approached from behind. Turning slowly, Jamie looked up to find two Cybermen, their cold, featureless facades staring down at them. One quickly pointed to his new acquaintance.</p>
<p>“You!” its deep, metallic voice boomed. “What have you told this one?” He pointed to Jamie.</p>
<p>The Scot looked over in sympathy at the man, who almost appeared paralyzed with fear. “I haven't said anything!” he insisted with a firm shake of his head.</p>
<p>“He lies!” the other Cyberman declared before turning to his accomplice. “It is time for Phase Two of the experiments.” He reached over to grab the man. “You will come with us.”</p>
<p>“No! No more tests!!” he cried, his desperate kicks barely fazing them as they both grabbed and dragged him away.</p>
<p>“Leave him alone!” Jamie shouted, but it was all for naught as they marched away and out of the large, empty space, heading towards the corridor he spotted earlier. How he wished he could get his hands free! Struggling to stand and then taking a few steps around the large table which earlier had blocked his view, he peered in the direction of the corridor in order to get a sense of the layout. An inconvenient reminder struck him and he snorted softly. One, how was he going to mount a rescue mission if he couldn't even reach his knife and was greatly outnumbered? And, two, how would he be able to leave the area without the other Cybermen and their human sidekicks on the other side of the room not noticing?</p>
<p>His desperate ruminations were pierced by a sound which made him feel sick: that of a great amount of electricity being discharged, followed by a man's blood-curdling scream.</p>
<p>Nothing but complete silence followed. Jamie lowered himself back to the floor, heaving a ragged sigh. It was not difficult to assume the man was now dead, the Cybermen having electrocuted him as punishment for revealing their plans to Jamie – all under the guise of 'experiments', naturally.</p>
<p>Feeling a sudden burst of frustration and anger bubbling over inside him, Jamie growled as he bent over, trying hard to slip out of his bonds and reach the sgian dubh at his side. If he couldn't save that man he was going to escape this place, one way or the other.</p>
<p>His determination turned into dread as he heard the familiar footsteps growing louder as they approached from the far side of the room. Turning, he found a trio of Cybermen standing before him, their usual emotionless faces somehow seeming to reflect an air of dissatisfaction.</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Safely hidden from view behind a parked Jaguar, The Doctor watched and waited, eyes narrowed as he studied the lone Cyberman stealthily making its journey down the road. He and Jamie had followed it at a distance this whole time, keeping themselves hidden behind objects like hedgerows, rubbish bins, and yes, even parked cars, so as not to allow their pursuant to see them. They'd followed it for what seemed like half a mile at least. The whole time it had stuck to the alley and to the shadows of a row of buildings, forcing them to follow it on the outside. The Time Lord blushed as he recalled the interesting reactions they'd got from passers-by. Young Jamie, ever the resourceful, had attempted a cover story for one nosy woman in which they were 'insect enthusiasts' – entomologists the Doctor had corrected him – and were deeply involved in a project.</p>
<p>At last, the Cyberman itself seemed to be slowing down. They reached an area just outside a huge, apparently abandoned, building. The Doctor's eyes narrowed further as he watched the robot. It was looking left and right, as if making sure no one could see it. It then approached a large plate of some sort in the ground, bent and pulled the plate up.</p>
<p>“What's it doing?” Jamie whispered beside him.</p>
<p>The Doctor's mouth dropped open as a cellar entrance was revealed, the Cyberman climbing down into it.</p>
<p>“I believe we've found its hideout,” he told the young man with a sly smile. He then pointed to the building. “Any idea what that place is?”</p>
<p>“Aye, it's an old power station,” Jamie replied. “Been abandoned fer years.”</p>
<p>“Mm. Definitely the perfect hideout. If your dad's not there, I'll eat my hat.”</p>
<p>Jamie stared at him in confusion. “But ye're no' wearin' a hat.”</p>
<p>“Figure of speech, Jamie,” he deadpanned. “What I mean is, the chances of finding your dad here are quite high. If I were to bet money on it, well … I'd buy myself a posh little holiday villa on New Earth.”</p>
<p>“Eh??”</p>
<p>“We'll come back to that later … Or not. Now, let's see if there's an easy way to get inside. Don't want to follow his exact footsteps in case there'll be more of them waiting for us.” He crept out of his hiding spot and gestured for Jamie to follow as he gingerly made his way in the direction of the building, carefully looking around to make sure no one would spot them.</p>
<p>“Doctor? I just thought of somethin',” Jamie suddenly blurted quietly, leaning into him. “What're we gonna fight them off with? We've got no weapons.” As the Time Lord turned to him, he noticed a tinge of fear in his young friend's eyes.</p>
<p>“Not quite,” the Doctor answered with a grin. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulled out his sonic screwdriver.</p>
<p>“Eh? That wee thing??” Jamie asked, brow furrowing in confusion. “That's all we've got?”</p>
<p>“It may be all we need, Jamie. It worked before; there's a good chance it'll work this time.” At least he hoped there was. In one of his more recent showdowns with the Cybermen, he was able to disable their chest plates with the sonic. But then again, there was that whole pesky business of time being relative; that showdown hadn't happened yet in their time stream and these Cybermen were most likely not equipped in such a way.</p>
<p>As he eyed the building, he merely hoped they'd find something inside that could be used as a weapon against them.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>“What did ye do to that man?!” Jamie Sr demanded, glaring angrily up at the Cybermen in front of him.</p>
<p>“He was not sufficient for our cause,” one of them replied. “He was powerless. Fragile.”</p>
<p>Jamie felt his brow knit in confusion. “What do ye mean?”</p>
<p>“We are searching for the most efficient human specimens,” the second Cyberman volunteered placidly. “We have been hiding here for some time, plotting to take over your world once again. This time we have been studying the humans' behavioral traits, our goal to mimic them to complete perfection so as to gain their trust. This way they shall hand control over to us without any hesitation.”</p>
<p>Jamie's earlier sense of deja vu was now setting off bells inside him. Yes, it was almost exactly what the Daleks had tried to do much earlier – find the 'human' element and add it to themselves. “Well, yer idea isnae very original,” he told them snidely. “We've come across other beasties who tried somethin' like this. An' failed.”</p>
<p>Thinking of the man from earlier, Jamie felt a pit in his stomach as another realization hit him. “All the recent disappearances.” He turned an accusatory eye on them. “Ye've been kidnapping all those people for yer experiments.”</p>
<p>“Correct.”</p>
<p>A few questions entered Jamie's mind. One in particular made him feel even sicker, but he had to ask it nonetheless. “What happens if the experiments work? What do ye do with these people?”</p>
<p>“We reward them by turning them into Cybermen, adding them to our growing army.”</p>
<p>The Scot nodded, swallowing around a lump in his throat. “An' what do ye do if the experiments dinnae work?”</p>
<p>“We add them to our growing army,” the Cyberman replied coldly.</p>
<p>“So … A choice between bein' a Cyberman, or bein' a Cyberman.” Jamie shook his head in disgust. “No' much of a choice, is it? An' if ye think I'm gonna comply with that, ye're more daft than I ever thought possible.”</p>
<p>“You will comply,” the metal beast demanded, raising its deep voice authoritatively.</p>
<p>Jamie picked up the sound of more footsteps approaching and his eyes widened in horror as he looked beyond the three Cybermen. There stood a group of six humans – men and women – with Cybermen headgear attached to their temples, their faces emotionless. Among them was the man Jamie had talked to earlier.</p>
<p>Returning his gaze to the monsters in front of him, he glared defiantly. “No, ye cannae do this!!” he shouted. “I willnae let ye turn me into an uncaring, pile o' metal like you! I'd rather die!!”</p>
<p>“Negative,” one Cyberman returned coldly. “You must be kept alive. You are required.”</p>
<p>“Oh, great,” Jamie muttered tiredly.</p>
<p>Before he could react further he found the three Cybermen approaching him closer, raising their hands as if to grab him.</p>
<p>“No!” he shouted. Getting to his feet, he backed away quickly until he felt something hard against his back. He turned his head to find he'd hit the large table on which various pieces of equipment sat. Thinking quick, Jamie found an opening and pivoted to the right, running into the large, open space of the room.</p>
<p>“Stop him!” one of the Cybermen boomed.</p>
<p>He quickly spotted the corridor at the far end and set off in its direction when he spotted the Cybermen's two human accomplices emerging. Jamie stopped short and quickly headed in the other direction, only to be stopped by the newly converted humans.</p>
<p>In short time he was back against the table with nowhere to go. He kicked with all the force he could muster, but it didn't affect his new adversaries in the least. He doubled over, trying in vain to reach his knife, but the rope held his wrists fast.</p>
<p>One of the Cybermen approached closer, his metal arms reaching to grab Jamie. Within seconds another was at his side, pressing its hands to Jamie's temples.</p>
<p>Feeling white-hot pain searing in his skull, the Highlander screamed.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>“Find anything?”</p>
<p>“No, nothing yet,” the Doctor muttered as he shone his torch around the dank, desolate area in which he and Jamie still found themselves. They had entered via another cellar entrance at the back of the building. A short distance away was a set of old, metal stairs leading up to another level, from which a rather complex network of corridors appeared. The Time Lord hadn't expected such a building to contain quite an elaborate setup.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, it seemed the perfect area for a Cybermen hideout. It'd been abandoned for decades, confirmed by the musty smell and thick thatches of cobwebs – not to mention the various notices littered on the floors dating back to the nineteen-fifties, early nineteen-sixties at the latest.</p>
<p>Speaking on that, they had already encountered a group of Cybermen near a room which on first glance was set up as a laboratory of some sort, with various bits of equipment inside. There were also two humans who hadn't seemed to be converted to any great extent, but still appeared under the influence of their captors. Luckily the Doctor was able to render them unconscious with the sonic screwdriver.</p>
<p>Unfortunately it didn't seem to affect the actual Cybermen much, but he and young Jamie ended up improvising by finding various contents under pressure in the makeshift lab and use them as explosives. The Doctor – with a little help from Jamie – constructed a few more rudimentary explosives from the contents they found to bring with them.</p>
<p>Shaking his head, the Doctor scoffed inwardly. He couldn't believe he was once again tangling with the Cybermen already. Again, he was well aware of time being relative, but he'd just dealt with them during …</p>
<p>Thoughts of Rose suddenly began to reemerge, but he quickly banished them. He was not going to allow himself to get mired in his pain again. His focus was on finding his old friend and getting him back safe.</p>
<p>“Hey, Doctor, I think we're nearly there!” Jamie exclaimed as he shone is torch ahead. The Time Lord followed his gaze and heaved a sigh of relief, spotting the corridor finally opening up into a larger area.</p>
<p>Jamie had begun to quicken his pace but the Doctor laid a hand upon his shoulder, shaking his head. “We've no idea what could be waiting for us out there,” he said quietly. “We --”</p>
<p>He was suddenly cut off by the sound of a scream. He felt his stomach twist into knots as he recognized the voice.</p>
<p>“It's Da!” Jamie cried, turning to the Doctor with fear in his eyes. “We've got tae help him!!”</p>
<p>The two hurried down the rest of the corridor and were nearly at the opening when two Cybermen suddenly approached, cutting off access to the room.</p>
<p>Wasting no time, the Doctor held his sonic up to them. The weapon succeeded in incapacitating the Cybermen for a short time, allowing the Time Lord and Jamie to escape the corridor into the large open room. He watched Jamie turn back to face them, appearing as if he really wanted to use the explosive device.</p>
<p>The Doctor shook his head again and, catching some movement on the far side of the room, pointed in that direction.</p>
<p>The young man nodded and had set off to that corner of the room. The Time Lord was about to join him when he suddenly heard footsteps behind him. Turning, he found the two Cybermen he'd incapacitated earlier. He was suddenly conflicted as to whether he should simply give them another headache, or make their day really miserable with the explosive device.</p>
<p>“Hurry!” Jamie cried, having already got halfway there. The Doctor turned back to his foes, narrowing his eyes in disgust as he pointed to them. “We'll come back to this later,” he told them menacingly.</p>
<p>Racing in the direction of Jamie's voice, he found him standing and staring in shock.</p>
<p>“Oh, no,” the Doctor muttered, feeling a sickening dread welling up from the pit of his stomach.</p>
<p>Before them was a group of six people, all with Cybermen headpieces affixed to their heads. Among them was his old friend: James Robert McCrimmon. Like the others, he had a headpiece attached to his head. His eyes were glazed and his face emotionless.</p>
<p>“Destroy them,” one of the Cybermen with the group ordered, pointing to the Doctor and Jamie's son.</p>
<p>“No!!” the Doctor shouted. “Jamie, it's me! The Doctor! Your friend!” Feeling awkward for a brief moment, he looked away. “I know I don't look much like me, or rather, the 'me' you remember, but trust me, I am him – er, me!”</p>
<p>The Time Lord gazed desperately at Jamie Sr, hoping some of his words had got through to him. That apparently wasn't the case, however, as the Scot's expression remained unchanged as he began to approach them.</p>
<p>“I don' understand,” young Jamie whispered to him. “Why isn't he listenin' to ye?!”</p>
<p>“Because he's under their control,” the Doctor muttered. “That headpiece contains an emotional inhibitor. They've started the process of turning him into a Cyberman.”</p>
<p>“No!” he cried. The look of horror on the young man's face broke the Doctor's hearts. “Da! You can fight this, I know ye can! Ye're no' like these terrible beasties! Ye've got a big heart! Ye're brave an' loyal. Ye were always tryin' tae protect me! I know ye better than I know anyone! Ye <em>have</em> tae fight this!” He swallowed hard. “Please,” he whimpered.</p>
<p>“Listen to us, Jamie,” the Doctor added quietly. “Listen to your son. Think about him. Think about your wife. They're worried sick about you. Think about what these Cybermen have planned for you. For Earth. You don't want that to happen. Do you?”</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>The white-hot pain in his skull long gone, Jamie Sr now felt an overwhelming numbness, as if he'd been given general anesthetic for surgery. He'd heard the beasties ordering him to attack some intruders. Under any other circumstance he probably would have done so, but he suddenly picked up on a voice echoing somewhere deep in the recesses of his mind. This voice called himself 'the Doctor.' The voice was pleading with him, although he couldn't quite hear much of what it was saying.</p>
<p>It was soon joined by another voice, a very familiar-sounding one. His vision somehow pieced together the image of what appeared to be his son standing before him. It suddenly occurred to him something was very wrong. Was he dead? Were the voices pleading with him to rejoin the living?</p>
<p>It finally clicked: Cybermen. He'd been kidnapped and brought to some old building where they held him and others captive. They planned to have him join them, something Jamie would let them do only over his dead body. He desperately wanted to fight back, but not only did his mind feel numb but his body as well, as if he didn't have the energy to overtake the control the Cybermen had on him.</p>
<p>All of that changed, however, as soon as he heard his son's voice: <em>“Da! You can fight this, I </em><em><b>know</b></em><em> ye can! Ye're no' like these terrible beasties!”</em> The feeling of cobwebs cleared somewhat as he heard the desperation in his son's voice and witnessed the look of overwhelming pain on his face.</p>
<p>“<em>Listen to us, Jamie. Listen to your son.”</em> The new voice was that of this Doctor and Jamie could just barely make him out standing beside his son. He'd never seen him in this form in his life, but as his vision cleared further he recognized the gently pleading expression on his face. That, coupled with the reality of his son being here and pleading so desperately for him to fight, caused a spark to ignite inside him. A part of him screamed, screamed louder than he ever thought he could do.</p>
<p>He felt a quick, sudden jolt inside his head and the numbness became replaced with something akin to an adrenaline rush. The Doctor and his son were still there, watching him tentatively, but the group of Cybermen and their converted humans had joined, some making for the pair and the others hovering menacingly in front of him.</p>
<p>Jamie Sr glared angrily at them, hating them for threatening his son and good friend. A distant memory suddenly began itching his brain. Explosives! They had once used explosives to take out these beasties. Looking around desperately, his gaze settled upon a pressurized canister. Before anyone in the room could react, he grabbed it between his legs, placing it in just the right position.</p>
<p>“Craig an tuire!!” he shouted, drawing his right leg back as far as it would go and giving the makeshift weapon a good, swift kick.</p>
<p>“Get back!!” the Doctor's voice yelled. It was the last thing Jamie Sr heard as the explosive detonated, sending him flying across the room and landing with a 'THUD!'</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Six</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Getting his breath, young Jamie blinked his eyes open. After that explosive had gone off, he'd backed away but the blast had still sent him reeling. Testing his limbs he found nothing broken, thank goodness. The worst that had happened was he'd landed on his bottom – probably a good bruise there, but nothing he couldn't handle. He gazed down at his clothes, finding them covered in dust and debris. He knocked some of it off and, assuming some had landed in his hair, ran his hands through it and shook his head.</p><p>He then took a cursory look around the room. He felt a smile of satisfaction twitching at his lips at the sight of several Cybermen lying on the ground, appearing damaged beyond repair. Good old Da; he knew those things wouldn't be able to completely control him. Speaking on that, where was he? Gazing all around the room, he was unable to locate him and felt a bit of panic beginning to well up inside him.</p><p>“Jamie?” a familiar voice suddenly pierced the room's silence. The young man turned to find the Doctor behind him, crouching down on the floor near a table on top of which sat various pieces of equipment that had been knocked over in the chaos.</p><p>He was immediately at the Time Lord's side. “Are ye all right, Doctor?”</p><p>“Yep, I'm fine,” the Doctor answered before he gazed down at himself. “Just a bit dusty, but, eh, I've had worse.” He gave a casual shrug, his face lighting up in an amused grin. “Much worse.”</p><p>Jamie returned the grin before his fear resurfaced. “We've got tae look for Da. I cannae find him anywhere. What if the beasties took him away??”</p><p>The Doctor laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Calm down, Jamie. We'll find him.” He appeared to be closely studying the inactive Cybermen lying on the ground when a smile soon spread across his face. “Your dad certainly took care of this lot. He was always good at improvisation.”</p><p>Jamie appreciated the compliment on his father's behalf but was still eaten up with worry. “I think I'll have a look round this part of the room,” he began, the shakiness of his voice causing him to wince. “An' you could ...”</p><p>His voice faded as he spotted what appeared to be a man huddled against a series of shelves about ten feet away. Nearing it, his jaw went slack as the dusty kilt identified him as his father.</p><p>“Doctor!” Jamie cried, frantically gesturing for the Time Lord to join him. He quickly approached his father's side and took in his appearance. Jamie Sr appeared awake but his eyes were unfocused. The headpiece still attached to his head was now hanging loose. He also had a pretty ugly gash on his forehead above his right eye.</p><p>“Jamie? Are you with us?” the Doctor asked, laying a hand on his arm.</p><p>Jamie Sr's eyes seemed to focus slightly as he turned to the Time Lord. “Aye,” he muttered weakly. A silly little smile suddenly spread across his face. “Did ye see that? I took care of those beasties. I blew 'em up.” Although he sounded quite out of it, there was a note of excitement in his voice.</p><p>“Yes Jamie, you did,” the Doctor replied with a fond smile, clapping the Scot on the shoulder. “You did well, my boy!”</p><p>Jamie Sr gazed at him in confusion. “Eh? Doctor, I'm no' quite a boy anymore,” he muttered with a weak chuckle.</p><p>The Doctor grinned in amusement. “I'm still older than you.”</p><p>Jamie Sr chuckled once more before meeting his son's gaze. He suddenly appeared concerned, a tinge of worry in his eyes. “Are ye all right? Did the beasties hurt ye?”</p><p>Jamie shook his head. “No, I'm fine. I'm jus' glad tae see ye're all right.” His voice faltered a bit as he tried to rein in his emotions. “I was so worried we'd lost ye.”</p><p>Jamie Sr grinned. “Hey, now, it'd take more than a pack o' metal beasties tae take me down.” He reached over to pat his son on the shoulder when he suddenly cried out in pain.</p><p>Young Jamie's eyes filled with fear as he watched his father turn pale, his eyes glazing over.“Da?!” he cried in panic.</p><p>His gaze flew over to the Doctor who was already examining him. “He's gone into shock. It's something to do with this head piece.” He gestured to the piece of equipment hanging limply from the side of Jamie Sr's head.</p><p>“Well, can ye remove it??” Jamie asked desperately.</p><p>“Yes, I can,” the Doctor replied. “But we've got to get him back to the TARDIS!”</p><p>“Eh?? How are we gonna get back there?!” His eyes frantically darting around the large space, he couldn't seem to locate another exit. “If we go back the way we came we could run into more of those Cybermen!”</p><p>“It's a chance we'll have to take!” the Doctor spat out.</p><p>Not wasting any time, he helped the Doctor gather up his father and the two held him up as they headed for the corner of the big, open room towards the corridor from which they'd previously emerged. Gazing around in fear, Jamie silently prayed their exit would not be blocked.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Watching his old friend dozing on a cot in the TARDIS sick bay, the Doctor recalled their frantic escape from the abandoned power station on the way back. Unable to find another exit, they ended up having to go back the way they came. On the way they spotted some humans – some they'd recognized as converted but also the two men under the Cybermen influence – lying motionless on the floor. The Doctor hoped they were merely unconscious, but he would go back for them later. At the moment the more important thing was getting Jamie back to the TARDIS.</p><p>They had unfortunately ended up running into some Cybermen outside the lab they'd passed on their way inside. The Doctor had briefly subdued them with his sonic screwdriver as he and Jamie's son dragged him inside. They didn't have much time but the Doctor suddenly got the idea to search for a weapon that was more potent and long-lasting. He found an old piece of machinery and quickly studying it found it emitted some electromagnetic pulse. It didn't seem to be a frequency strong enough to be effective, but he quickly modified that with his sonic and in the end, produced a pulse capable of overwhelming the Cybermen's circuits. Powering up the machine completely he tested it and within moments found the Cybermen crying out in agony before sparks emitted from their chests and they collapsed.</p><p>The way finally clear, they swiftly – as swiftly as Jamie's dead weight would allow, anyway – made their way down the old staircase, to the cellar exit and then outside into the fresh air. The Time Lord had briefly considered flagging down a taxi to get them back to the McCrimmon residence, but considering the traffic at this time they'd be more apt to return quicker on foot.</p><p>Fortunately it hadn't taken them as long as he'd expected. Once they got Jamie inside and into the sick bay, the Doctor carefully examined him once more and then set to work on treating him. Once he was assured Jamie was stable and recovering, he'd made his son aware of what he'd done and when to expect his father to be up for visitors. He also recruited him to head back to the power station and retrieve the other humans. He'd also been able to heal those who had been converted, not to mention deprogram the two men under the Cybermen influence. He'd also erased their memories of this whole incident, allowing them to get back to their regular lives without any issues.</p><p>A groan suddenly threw him from his thoughts and he looked up to find Jamie stirring in the bed. Blinking, he blearily met the Doctor's gaze.</p><p>“Doctor?” he croaked.</p><p>The Doctor nodded, a fond smile twitching at his lips. “Yes, Jamie. I'm here.” He reached out to pat Jamie's shoulder. “You're going to be fine. The Cybermen thought they'd converted you, but I wedged a spanner or two in their little plan.” He casually looked away. “Most of the credit goes to your son, of course.” He then turned back to Jamie with a reassuring smile. “You just need a little time to heal and you'll be back to your old self.”</p><p>Jamie nodded faintly and then seemed to be studying the Doctor through his still-cloudy eyes. “Why did ye do it?”</p><p>The Doctor regarded him in confusion. “What d'ya mean, why'd I do it?” he asked incredulously. “You're my friend. Arguably, my <em>best</em> friend. Why wouldn't I have done it?”</p><p>Jamie appeared almost crushed. “I treated ye so cruelly … back when I saw ye in London … with that young lassie.”</p><p>“Peri.”</p><p>“Aye, her. It was wrong of me tae order you tae stay away from my family. Ye told me ye'd never hurt them. An' if I were in my right mind, I would've believed ye. But all I could think of was protecting my family.”</p><p>The Doctor gave him a sad smile. “If you were any other way, you wouldn't be Jamie.”</p><p>Jamie raised his head slightly off the pillow, his eyes insistent. “No, Doctor. I've always trusted ye. I should've done so then as well.” He eased back down, gazing up at the ceiling. “I beat m'self up fer a long time after that.” The Doctor watched sadly as the Scot then turned slightly to gaze at the Doctor in regret. “I'm so sorry. I hope ye can forgive me.”</p><p>The Doctor sighed heavily, Jamie's admission making his hearts break. “Of course I can, Jamie. You don't even have to ask.”</p><p>Jamie carefully raised himself up against his pillow some more and extended his hand to the Doctor, a grateful smile on his face. The Time Lord nearly felt lost as he gazed at it before finally taking it. He fought back tears as he smiled at his friend, who appeared genuinely relieved that he had forgiven him.</p><p>After a brief moment, Jamie's smile faded and a bit of worry colored his eyes. “Where's Wee Jamie? Is he all right?”</p><p>The Doctor chuckled inwardly. He could just hear Jamie's son objecting to that moniker were he in the room (or, given the current situation, perhaps he wouldn't be...). “He's safe. He's here in the TARDIS. I'll send him in for a visit as soon as you get some more rest.”</p><p>Jamie snorted softly, rolling his eyes. “I'm sure it won't be long before I start gettin' sick of stayin' here,” he retorted. “Already feels like I've been in here for days.”</p><p>“Nope, only a few hours,” the Doctor returned with an amused grin. “You never did like this place, did you?”</p><p>“Aye, that's for sure,” Jamie replied, although the lopsided smirk on his face seemed indicative of gentle teasing.</p><p>The Doctor chuckled lightly as Jamie's smirk faded and before long he'd drifted off to sleep. The Time Lord stood, watching his chest rise and fall as he slept peacefully. Poor Jamie. He had been through so much the past few days: first, kidnapped by a couple of blokes working for the Cybermen, and then nearly converted into one of them himself. However, they hadn't counted on Jamie's inner strength. Of course, young Jamie and the Doctor himself had done their part, but deep down he'd known that Jamie would never allow himself to be converted into one of those monsters.</p><p>The Doctor's gaze settled back on his friend and he smiled, feeling happier than he had in a long time that he was able to not only save Jamie, but also reconcile with him a bit as well.</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>“So, the reason the Cybermen were unable to convert you was because of this,” the Doctor explained, pointing to the side of his head. “That expansive piece of gray matter inside your noggin. They were unable to penetrate that part of your mind with the headpiece when we arrived.”</p><p>Jamie Sr nodded, taking all of this in. He still couldn't believe what had happened in the mere space of a few days, from the two blokes confronting him in the alley to his near conversion into a Cyberman.</p><p>His son turned to him, gazing at him in relief. “We were so worried. I almost thought ye a goner, Da.”</p><p>“Eh? Don' be daft,” Jamie Sr told him with a grin. “As I told ye, it'd take more than a pack of those beasties to take me down.” He reached over and tousled his son's hair.</p><p>Young Jamie turned briefly to roll his eyes before a smile broke out on his face and he captured his dad in a hug. Jamie Sr muttered comforting words to him in Gaelic as he patted him on the back. He then turned to the Doctor, a grateful smile on his face. “I cannae thank ye enough for helpin' us, Doctor.” His expression suddenly turned sheepish. “I know this isnae the reunion we'd envisaged, but ...”</p><p>The Doctor nodded with a warm smile. “Not quite the one I'd envisaged either, but, hey, that's perfectly all right. I'm glad I got to see you again either way. And there's no need to thank me. Really.”</p><p>Jamie Sr's smile faded and his eyes narrowed. The Doctor's smile turned awkward in nature and he suddenly seemed quite preoccupied. Something was up; having known him for years now – different incarnations notwithstanding – Jamie could read him like a book.</p><p>“Somethin' on yer mind, Doctor?” he asked.</p><p>He watched as the Doctor's face fell and he gazed at his hands. “Yeah,” he said quietly with a nod. Jamie regarded him expectantly. “Not here,” the Doctor elaborated.</p><p>Jamie sighed. The Doctor looked as if the weight of the world were resting on his shoulders. “Aye. Right,” he finally returned. He gestured for the Time Lord to follow him through the kitchen to the back door. “We'll be back in a moment,” he told Kathryn and young Jamie. The two of them gazed at him almost worriedly, prompting him to sigh. “We'll only be in the back garden.”</p><p>“Sorry, Da. But ye cannae blame us for bein' worried, eh?”</p><p>Jamie Sr managed a rueful smile before turning to the Doctor, gesturing for him to follow him outside.</p><p>They reached the middle of the garden, stopping some ten feet short of the TARDIS before Jamie turned to the Doctor, gazing at him expectantly. “So, what's goin' on, Doctor? I can tell somethin's botherin' ye.”</p><p>The Doctor appeared reluctant to share anything with Jamie at first and avoided his gaze. It had to be something serious, something he couldn't just blurt out to him. Jamie merely stood patiently, waiting for his old friend to work up the strength to begin.</p><p>The Doctor heaved a sigh. “Um, I … recently lost someone very dear to me,” he finally said, his voice so quiet Jamie almost had to strain to hear him. Jamie laid a hand on his shoulder, prompting the Time Lord to turn and finally meet his gaze. The overwhelming grief in his expression nearly broke Jamie's heart.</p><p>“Her name was – is – Rose,” the Doctor continued, his voice a bit clearer. “Sweet girl, loads of fun, the brightest smile you could ever imagine. She, uh ...” His voice faltered and he shook his head, his eyes glistening with tears. “Sorry.” Jamie shook his head, wishing his friend didn't feel the need to apologize. “Anyway, we'd come up against a secret order of Daleks, not to mention a rather nasty faction of Cybermen from a parallel universe.”</p><p>“Och,” Jamie exclaimed with a grimace.</p><p>“Yeah,” the Doctor acknowledged bleakly. “They'd held the lot of us hostage for a while. They threatened to convert every human on Earth into Cybermen. They were everywhere, threatening everyone on Earth, even children.”</p><p>Jamie felt his breath hitch upon learning this, but he gestured for the Doctor to continue.</p><p>“Then they had a little run-in with the Daleks, both sides trying to one-up each other. I'll spare you the details of that.” He sighed heavily. As the Doctor recounted the whole story, Jamie felt his heart break as he took in every sordid detail and watched the Time Lord's expression become more closed off.</p><p>“So, Rose basically sacrificed herself to get all of the Daleks out of this universe. And the breach between the two sealed, leaving her cut off from our world. I was able to reach out to her – I'd gone through a lot of trouble in order to do so – to say 'goodbye'. I had to tell her she couldn't see me again. The look on her face crushed me, Jamie.” Jamie once again reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder. “It still haunts me.” The Doctor sniffled briefly and then met Jamie's gaze with an ironic smile. “You know what she's doing in the other world? Working with Torchwood thanks to her expertise with aliens. Rose Tyler: Defender of Earth.”</p><p>Jamie found himself at a loss for words and merely nodded.</p><p>“She was so insistent on not leaving me, even after I'd asked her go to the parallel universe where she'd be safer. But she had to leave eventually. When I spoke to her that one last time, she asked what I would do now. I told her I'd go on alone. And that's what I've been doing.” The Doctor suddenly growled in frustration, kicking a hedge up against the garden fence. Jamie jumped, not expecting the outburst, but his eyes filled with sympathy as the Doctor met his gaze, his expression almost sheepish for a fleeting moment before the frustration returned.</p><p>“Blimey, Jamie, she told me she loved me,” he said, his voice faltering as his eyes filled with tears. “How do you go on after someone reveals something like that to you?!” He scoffed. “And there I was, putting on a brave face for her, not breaking down like a complete fool.”</p><p>His expression became closed off once again and he lowered his voice. “And all the while I just felt so devastated, more than I was prepared for. The pain felt like I was slowly carving my hearts with a blunt knife.” He stopped and shrugged. “So, I didn't feel like doing much of anything after that. I just drifted through space, wishing I could do something to end the pain.”</p><p>Jamie frowned upon hearing this, it dawning on him what exactly his friend was getting at. “You-you mean ...” he sputtered.</p><p>The Doctor met his gaze seriously and nodded. “Yeah.”</p><p>The Scot felt his jaw drop. “But, Doctor, how could ye –“</p><p>“Don't,” the Time Lord cut him off. “Just … Don't.”</p><p>“No, I will, Doctor,” Jamie insisted forcefully, gazing at him almost in frustration before taking a breath to calm himself. “I know what it's like tae lose someone. I've lost family, friends … It hurts, aye, but somethin' just makes ye keep goin'. An' I know ye've lost tons o' people, but ye always kept goin.' Now, this Rose sounds as if she were verra special to ye, but I cannae just see ye packin' it all up an' throwin' it all away. Ye've done so much good; no' just fer Earth, but the entire universe! So many have you tae thank fer saving them, including me an' my family.”</p><p>The Doctor avoided his gaze, but Jamie wasn't finished. “D'ye think Rose would be happy if she heard ye took yer life? No, she wouldnae.” He paused. “We need ye, Doctor. We <em>all</em> need ye.”</p><p>Jamie eyed him patiently. He hadn't reacted but appeared to have been taking all of this in. Jamie watched a tear roll down the Time Lord's cheek before he finally nodded and then lifted his gaze to Jamie. The Scot found an almost sheepish smile on his tear-worn face.</p><p>“So, ye still feelin' this way?” Jamie asked with a smile of his own, hoping he'd got through to the Doctor in some capacity.</p><p>The Doctor's smile widened into a more genuine one and he shook his head. “No, I'm not. Because I just realized something.”</p><p>“An' what is that?”</p><p>The smile never left the Time Lord's face as his expression grew into one of excitement. “You're right, Jamie. You're one-hundred-percent right. I was able to save you from the Cybermen. My dear old friend, the one who'd stuck by me more times than I could possibly count. The one I'd feared was lost to me all this time. I was able to save you; And not just you, but potentially all of London, maybe even the world.” His eyes widened as if in realization. “Blimey, I think I've got my purpose back. Ha!!” he exclaimed, almost in triumph.</p><p>Jamie felt his own face crack open in a huge smile as he watched the Doctor stand straight, hands balled into fists and his face lit up in triumph. He was looking so much better than he had mere moments ago. As the Doctor met his gaze, he found a new emotion playing across his face: one of gratitude.</p><p>“You've reminded me that I've got people who depend on me. I really needed that. You know, a girl I ran into not long ago told me I had to find someone, and I have.” He gestured to Jamie before shrugging a bit and looking away. “Well, found someone <em>again</em>, as it were, but same thing, really.” He returned his gaze to Jamie with a smile.</p><p>The Scot felt some heavy emotion coursing through him and he smiled as well. “I'm glad ye're feelin' better, Doctor,” he said. Jamie barely had any time to react when the Time Lord quickly approached him, nearly crushing him in a hug. The Scot uttered a tiny squeak in surprise and then reciprocated, wrapping his arms around his dear friend.</p><p>Once the Doctor had loosened his grip and stepped back, Jamie could see his eyes glistening with unshed tears as he smiled. “I can't thank you enough, my friend.”</p><p>“Hey, now, 'tis me who should be thankin' <em>you</em>,” Jamie said, pointing a finger at him. “I never would've overpowered those beasties without yer help.”</p><p>“Bah! You would've found a way,” the Doctor joked, grin on his face a mild wide as he waved a dismissive hand. Jamie shared a brief chuckle with him. Yes, he was now convinced the Doctor was feeling better, which, in turn, made him feel a lot better.</p><p>The Time Lord's smile faded and he glanced back at the TARDIS. “Well, I suppose I should be on my way.” He approached Jamie a bit closer again. “But I'll always be grateful to you for showing me my work isn't done, that people still need me.”</p><p>He appeared ready to hug Jamie again when the Scot held up a hand, his brow furrowing. “Ye sure ye cannae stay a wee while longer?”</p><p>The sound of a door slamming pierced the air and he shifted his gaze to find his wife and son had now joined them, almost as if they had sensed the Doctor's intention to leave and had come to talk him out of it.</p><p>Jamie looked back at the Doctor and noted his face had cracked open in another grin. “Aw! Why not?!” he exclaimed, clapping his hands together. “You've been such marvelous hosts; how could I refuse the warm hospitality of the McCrimmons?” He turned and gave Jamie a playful wink. The Scot felt an amused chuckle bubble up from his throat before he briefly met his son's gaze. The young man was nearly ecstatic to spend some more time with his friend, and it warmed Jamie's heart.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Stepping out into the back garden, the Doctor inhaled deeply the crisp, early morning air. The rain showers from the night before had long since departed. A golden ray of sunshine was now peaking through the mostly cloudy sky and there was a fresh coat of dew on the grass beneath his feet. He smiled as he took in another deep breath. He'd grown to love that 'Spring rain' smell.</p><p>Hanging back a bit near the door were Jamie and Kathryn. The Time Lord had exchanged goodbye hugs with the two of them. As for their son, well, he was gazing up at the TARDIS once more in wonder.</p><p>The Doctor watched him fondly, his thoughts drifting back to the previous evening. He'd had dinner with the McCrimmons; Kathryn had made a nice roast and the Time Lord had to admit he'd miss her superb cooking. Afterwards, the four of them had gathered in front of the television to watch several more videos from young Jamie's collection. The Doctor grinned fondly as he recalled Kathryn and Jamie Sr staying up as long as they could, but finally having had enough two episodes into the second series of Highlander.</p><p>The Doctor had slept like a baby that night – for him, anyway – and had awoken feeling even better than he had the previous morning. Kathryn and Jamie Sr had treated him to a hearty breakfast, as well as some good conversation to catch him up with the goings-on in their lives since he had seen them last (minus the parts young Jamie had earlier shared). Not wanting to make either of them late for work, the Doctor decided to leave as early as possible. Jamie Sr had insisted on seeing him out, and his son had asked to get a look at the outside of the TARDIS once again.</p><p>“Only the outside?” the Doctor asked, arching an eyebrow. “Might I remind you, young Jamie, that earlier I'd offered to give you a proper tour of her sometime? I'd like to make good on that promise.” A hopeful smile spread across his face as a new idea suddenly struck. “Hey, how would you like to take a little ride in her?”</p><p>The young man began to smile, but it quickly faltered as he looked back in the direction of his house. He then turned back to the Doctor, his expression uneasy. “I-I don' know. I feel like I need tae be there for them. 'Specially after wha' happened to Da.”</p><p>The Doctor felt disappointment eating away at him.“Aw!! Ya sure? I can get you back here right before we'd have left. It would be as if you didn't leave them at all.”</p><p>Young Jamie's gaze dropped to his hands as he appeared to be thinking it over. He then looked back up at the Doctor in hesitation.</p><p>The Time Lord gave him a sad smile. “I don't want to force you to do anything, Jamie. If you'd rather not come along there's no hard feelings. All right?”</p><p>After a protracted stare, Jamie sighed and finally nodded before turning and walking back towards his house. Stopping just short of the back door, he turned back to the Doctor and gave him a wave.</p><p>The Doctor had to admit he felt a sick twinge of deja vu hit him. It nearly reminded him of the way his father had done the same thing once long ago, before the Time Lords had taken him and Zoe away after the Doctor had lost his trial. Swallowing around a lump in his throat, the Time Lord waved back, remaining poker-faced despite the emotions threatening to consume him.</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Having returned to the TARDIS, the Doctor headed into the console room and plopped himself down onto the jump seat. He stared glumly at the scanner screen on which the image of the McCrimmons' back garden was still visible. The three of them had long since gone back inside and he felt his hearts begin to ache once again. Yes, he had Jamie to thank for reminding him of his purpose, but he still couldn't keep that pesky bit of loneliness from resurfacing.</p><p>He finally turned his gaze up to the ceiling. Almost in acknowledgment, the room brightened.</p><p>“Well, Old Girl, it's just you and me once again,” he said, managing a slight smile. His despondent thoughts faded slightly and a fond smile twitched at his lips as he thought of his good friend and his family, especially young Jamie. “You know, it finally hit me why you brought me here, to this time and place. Out of so many destinations from nearly countless periods of time, why you brought me here.” He punctuated the last five words with a poke to the console.</p><p>The TARDIS suddenly called up on one of the screens an old image of Jamie from when he'd originally traveled with the Doctor. This was quickly supplemented by an image of his son. Gazing at them, the Time Lord felt his smile grow. Yes, it was more than clear why she'd brought him here: Young Jamie and, by extension, his father, needed him. After having said goodbye to another dear companion, it really felt good to have been there for – and saved – another.</p><p>Heck, Jamie Sr was here <em>because</em> of him. Because – according to the Scot himself many years ago – a later incarnation of him had returned for Jamie, breaking him out of the prison at Culloden and being there to witness Jamie's memories returning. He had inadvertently brought Jamie to twentieth-century London where he'd met Kathryn, settled down and had a family.</p><p>The Doctor heaved a sigh. “Well, I got to see Young Jamie again. Never expected that to happen. Not to mention I saved Jamie himself from the Cybermen, plus who knows how many other people.” Sniffing, he briefly looked away. “Not bad in the scheme of things.” The bravado quickly slipped as he realized that, although he felt more himself with his sense of purpose back, he couldn't deny the loneliness had returned. He sighed once more, hoping he'd find some way to take his mind off it.</p><p>The sound of a man clearing his throat behind him nearly made him jump. The Doctor whirled around and felt his eyes nearly pop out as he witnessed young Jamie stepping out of the shadows, an almost reverent smile upon his face. “So, where're we goin'?”</p><p>The Time Lord gaped at him. It was only moments ago the young man seemed insistent on staying back with his family. After a moment he finally recovered, eyes narrowed as he scrutinized Jamie. “You're sure you want to do this?”</p><p>“Ye said ye can get me back right before I left, didn't ye?”</p><p>The Doctor nodded.</p><p>“Then, aye. I'm sure,” Jamie replied with a resolute nod.</p><p>“I've got to warn you,” the Doctor began darkly. “I've seen some pretty horrible things; things you wouldn't even dream of seeing. Are you prepared for that?”</p><p>Jamie seemed to consider this. “Aye,” he finally said after a protracted pause. “I am.”</p><p>The Doctor regarded him with some leftover surprise, but the young man really seemed to have his heart set on joining him, at least for a little while. Feeling his sadness finally starting to ebb away, the Time Lord smiled. “Where to?”</p><p>Jamie shrugged, suddenly appearing a bit sheepish. “Er, I've no' really thought aboot it.” He then grinned. “Surprise me.”</p><p>The Doctor laughed in triumph. “Then, away we go!” he declared, manipulating the controls. He noted that Jamie seemed almost overwhelmed at first, but as he turned to meet the Time Lord's gaze, his grin was back.</p><p>A course for their destination having been set, the Doctor peered at his watch. “Well, I reckon we've got enough time for that tour … Part One, anyhow.” A grin lit up his face as he addressed his young friend and he felt as if he were glowing in excitement. Yes, the TARDIS had done him well in landing here. Even if having Young Jamie along for the ride was to be a temporary arrangement, it gave him the jolt of encouragement he'd sorely needed. After having lost his much needed sense of purpose and direction, it was now back, thanks to him and his father.</p><p>Somewhere, he just knew Rose would be smiling.</p><p> </p><p>THE END</p><p> </p><p>
  
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I can't believe this one has finally come to an end! I want to thank everyone who's stuck by it. I know it was pretty short as far as my stories go, but I wanted to go a bit easy as I've got plans for a more intense story directly following on this one. And yes, I know I didn't really post any pictures like I usually do with my stories, but it was a bit hard for this one. But I'm not leaving you empty-handed, so here is a picture (er...passable manip, I hope) of Ten and Jamie hugging. :)</p>
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